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Ghana’s tourism industry received a boost when a passenger cruise vessel docked at the Elmina Fishing Harbour in the Central Region last Thursday, with 115 tourists from across the world.
A statement from the Takoradi Port said through the maiden call by SH Vega, the Elmina Fishing Harbour, which the government built primarily to assist the fisherfolk, had now assumed the dual role of being a fishing port and cruise destination port of call.
It said the passengers in the 280-capacity passenger vessel comprised 106 passengers, mostly tourists, and nine crew members. The tourists toured the Elmina Castle and its township, the Batik Making Centre at Global Mamas in Elmina, the Kakum National Park, and the Cape Coast Castle.
It said they also enjoyed some traditional drumming and dance lessons with splendid performances from the inhabitants.
The statement said SH Vega dropped its anchor in the Elmina waters, about 8.8 cables away from the port’s main breakwater. "It then lowered its Zodiac (inflatable boats) into the water before carefully disembarking the 115 passengers and crew members into the zodiac in safe batches," the statement added.
Some of the crew at the port
It said the nationalities of the passengers and the crew aboard the cruise vessel included Australia, Austria, China, France, Germany, Greece, Russia and Nigeria. It said the vessel had previously sailed to some ports in Angola, Benin, Congo, Gabon, Togo, São Tomé, among others.
The Director at the Takoradi Port, Peter Amoo-Bediako, lauded the government for the construction of the harbour. Mr Amoo-Bediako said it was important the government, through the Ministry of Transport and its Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) actualised the vision in the construction of the Elmina Fishing Harbour to assist the fishing activities of the people of Elmina and its environs.
He noted that the call of SH Vega at the Elmina Fishing Harbour presented endless opportunities to the port in particular, and the Elmina township as a whole.
Mr Amoo-Bediako was elated that the GPHA, with the support of other regulatory institutions such as the Ghana Maritime Authority, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, the National Intelligence Bureau, National Security, NACOB, Ghana Immigration Service, Port Health, Marine Police and the Ghana Police Service, was able to achieve this feat.
He described it as a great day in the annals of Ghana’s tourism and maritime sector, and thanked the various institutions for making it possible. Mr Amoo-Bediako was full of praise for the Municipal Chief Executive Officer (MCE) of KEEA, Solomon Appiah, the Omanhene of Elmina, and the leadership of the fisher community in Elmina for their cooperation in making the call of SH Vega a success.
The MCE of KEEA, Mr Appiah, was optimistic that the local economy of Elmina and its environs would be positively affected by this historic achievement. The Elmina Harbour was inaugurated in 2023 under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport and has since been critical to the fishing activities in the area, a hotbed for fishing, tourism and history.
Already, Ghana is seen as one of the favourite destinations of cruise passengers worldwide, with Tema and Takoradi being the traditional ports of call.
