Boat owners and operators have been urged to strictly enforce load-line compliance to ensure that all passengers wear certified life jackets before embarking on a boat journey.
Passengers had also been advised to demand life jackets from boat operators before embarking and to desist from boarding overloaded boats.
The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), in a press statement issued and signed by Mr Issah Issahaku, Corporate Communications Officer, and copied to The Ghanaian Times on Friday, said flouting safety regulations within the maritime space endangered lives.
It said that the caution against the flouting of safety regulations within the maritime space follows the dangerous transportation of dozens of passengers on an overcrowded boat on the Volta Lake without life jackets, which was a widely circulated video on social media.
“This blatant disregard for safety protocols persists despite continuous public education campaigns by the Authority, which emphasise the mandatory use of life jackets and strict adherence to load limits,” the Authority said.
Moreover, the Authority noted that the incident that was captured in the circulated video served as a reminder of the tragic boat disaster in Dipke in the Lawra Municipality in the Upper West Region, which recently led to Tehran death of seven students.
The Authority said that it had made a number of key interventions in its quest to improve safety across the country’s inland waterway.
Among the key interventions, it said, were the removal of navigational hazard, nationwide safety and enforcement, leadership in safety advocacy, and enhanced search and rescue (SAR).
According to the Authority, over 20,000 dangerous tree stumps had been cleared from critical economic routes on the Volta Lake and elsewhere to help reduce collision risk.
The clearance of the tree stumps, the Authority indicated, covered areas such as Dambai-Njare, Yeji-Makango, Yeji-Awujakope, Tunpunjah Island-Kudorkpoe, Kudorkope-Dambai and Bridge- Ano-Ntoaboma.
The Authority also said that its Technical Teams had conducted comprehensive outreach activities, including safety education, loading marking, and life jackets distribution while the Director General, Dr Kamel-Deen Ali, had led safety advocacy visits to key inland water locations, including Akosombo, Dambai, Kete-Krachi, Yeji, and Tamale.
To complement the existing GMA/Navy enforcement teams stationed at Yeji and Dambai, the Authority said that it was deploying its vessel, MV Nene Azumah Matey Korley, to Kpando-Torkor to bolster SAR capabilities on the Volta Lake and surrounding areas.
“Despite these efforts, the recent video is a sobering reminder that individual and collective action are essential. Reckless disregard for safety undermines national efforts and endangers lives,” the statement said.
“Safety on our waterways is non-negotiable. We urge everyone, including passengers and operators alike, to take personal responsibility for their life and safety. Enforcement action will be taken against violators without hesitation,” Dr Ali cautioned.
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