Accra: The Ghana Navy is investigating a suspected pirate attack on the Ghanaian registered fishing vessel, MENGXIN 1, which occurred in its waters on the evening of Thursday, March 27, 2025. The incident has raised concerns about maritime security in the region.
According to Ghana News Agency, preliminary reports revealed that at approximately 1753 hours, seven armed individuals boarded the vessel and fired warning shots. This prompted several crew members to seek cover in a secure area on the ship. The pirates remained on board for about three hours, during which they assembled the crew on deck and confiscated their mobile phones.
A press release issued by Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quarshie, Director General, Public Relations, Ghana Armed Forces, and shared with the Ghana News Agency, stated that after the pirates' departure, the crew emerged from hiding to discover that the Captain, Chief Mate, and Chief Engineer, all Chinese nationals, were missing. It is suspected that they were kidnapped by the attackers.
Due to the lack of mobile network coverage at sea, the crew had to navigate closer to land to report the incident. The release confirmed that the remaining crew members are safe and that the vessel has since docked safely at the Tema Fishing Harbour.
Initial investigations conducted by the Marine Police and the Eastern Naval Command's Naval Intelligence personnel have verified the occurrence and the suspected abduction. Information about the incident has been shared with neighboring countries through the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) Zone F in Accra, as part of the Yaounde Architecture for maritime security, to alert them to be on the lookout for the kidnappers.
Efforts are ongoing by intelligence agencies to locate and secure the release of the kidnapped crew members.
