Ghana and US Maritime Forces Collaborate
The Ghana Armed Forces and the United States Maritime Forces have completed a joint maritime operation, the Africa Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP), as part of the Africa Partnerships Program (APS).
The operation brought together representatives from Ghana’s Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, the Marine Police Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Navy, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coastguard on Spearhead, the U.S. Navy’s first Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV).
The operation succeeded in detecting three vessels that were violating Ghanaian maritime law and cited the violators for follow-on judicial action.
A statement issued by the US Embassy, in Accra, said the operation was embarked by representatives from Ghana's Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, the Marine Police Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Navy, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coastguard on 'Spearhead', the U.S. Navy's first Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV).
Commodore Mark Yawson, Flag Officer Fleet of the Ghana Navy, who made the call, said the implementation of the framework was costly and difficult in view of the enormous size of the maritime space of each state.
He said it was challenging to police the borderless seas by a single state, hence the call for effective collaboration to ensure absolute safety in Ghana’s territorial waters.
Commodore Yawson made the remark when he and Rear Admiral Thomas Reck, the US 6th Fleet Vice Commander/Director, Maritime Partnership Program jointly performed the closing ceremony on board the US Naval vessel, the “First joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV1) Spearhead” that had docked at the Western Naval Command in Sekondi on a goodwill mission.