Seven Ghanaian fishermen aboard the canoe Second Chance were rescued and brought to Tema Fishing Harbour on Thursday, October 22, 2026, after a multinational search‑and‑rescue operation in the Gulf of Guinea. The crew, who had departed from Sekondi for a fishing trip to Axim on October 9, were stranded when the outboard motor failed and they drifted eastward into Beninese waters.
The fishermen—Kofi Emmanuel, 32; Uncle Amoah, 45; Kwamena Nkum, 29; Kofi Aboagye, 36; Doboa, 35; Agya Badu, 42; and Kwamena Akyem, 40—were located by the Beninese Navy on the night of October 21. They were then transferred by a Togolese naval vessel to the Ghana Navy ship Aflao at the Ghana‑Togo maritime border at about 6:49 a.m. before being taken to Tema.
Naval Captain Festus Osei‑Brobbey, Director of Naval Training, said all seven men were in good condition and received food and medical care aboard the Ghanaian vessel. He highlighted gaps in distress signalling, communication systems and night‑vision capabilities that could affect future maritime search‑and‑rescue efforts, and called for improved naval assets such as high‑speed interceptor boats and long‑endurance maritime drones.
Professor Benjamin Betey Campion, Executive Director of the Fisheries Commission, noted that the Commission had received technical quotations and bids for distress‑tracking devices to help fishermen transmit their locations and alert security agencies in emergencies. The operation was coordinated under the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy and the Yaoundé Architecture framework, with support from regional maritime coordination centres in Zones E and F and the French Embassy.
With the successful return of the seven fishermen, the multinational effort underscored the importance of regional cooperation in maritime safety and highlighted areas for improvement in Ghana’s naval capabilities.
