Police in Ghana have arrested 21, people including three teenagers, for allegedly attempting to stowaway on a foreign vessel which berthed at the Takoradi Harbour at the weekend.
The youths, who come from Kwesi-Mintsim, Effia-Kuma, New Takoradi and currently in police custody helping in investigations.
Police gave their names as Edward Bossman, 20; Dominic Kwaku, 26; Anyass Abdulai, 30; Issah Bebani, 18 years; Anim Mensah, 25; Abdullai Mohammed 19; Abu Gamba, 21; Christopher Botsie 25; Ennin Amos, 22; Kadri Mustapha; 21 and Francis Essuman; 18.
The rest are Samuel Aidoo, 20; Ebenezer Dadzie, 21; Collins Mensah; 27; Emmanuel Ocran 20; Mouk Ashford, 27; Simon Agu, 21 and John Effrim, 18 years.
At a press briefing, the Western Regional Police Commander, Alhaji Hamidu Mahama said, on July 15, the cargo vessel, Ms Magdalene berthed at the harbor and began loading cocoa beans for Holland.
At about 11:00 am on July 23, he said the ship set sail and was the Captain, Ireneusz Walz went on a routine check for stowaways.
At 4 am on Sunday July 24, the Captain discovered 21 men in the ship�s column of cranes� Alhaji Mahama said.
He said the Captain informed the Takoradi Port authorities who also reported to the police. The Police went on board the vessel to arrest the suspects.
He said that the National Security Operatives, the ports authorities and the police have adopted strategies to check stowaways.
He said the batch of 21 managed to enter the vessel while they were loading cocoa and decided not to come back.
We however have good plans and are ready to stop them (stowaways), he said.
He advised the youth to seek genuine means of travelling and stop attempting to stowaway in a Chinese vessel one of whom died and the rest arrested.
We don’t want this to happen to our own citizens they should be patient and use the correct routes.
Ghana is better and the youth can do business here if they acquire the skills instead of stowaway, the police commander advised.
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Those stowaways probably don’t realize how lucky they were. The captains of some of those flag-of-convenience ships have been known to throw stowaways overboard in order to save the owners the expense of repatriating them.
When I was sailing we always did a stowaway search BEFORE we sailed, especially when sailing from impoverished, third-world ports like that.