The Minister of Transport, Dzifa Attivor, has commended the governments of Finland and Ghana for the acquisition of the Vessel Traffic Management Information System (VTMIS) by the Ghana Maritime Authority.
The VTMIS is an integrated system built to enhance continuous electronic surveillance of the entire coast of Ghana and even beyond.
Speaking during the inauguration of the vessel on Tuesday, she said the involvement of the two governments was a clear manifestation of the co-operation by government agencies to pool resources together to find solutions to the challenges confronting the nation.
The sector Minister noted that in recent times, maritime insecurity on the Gulf of Guinea had caused considerable concern to international shipping, due to the growing trend of unlawful acts against the safety of navigation and other offshore activities.
“Ghana’s location within this region makes it imperative for measures to be put in place to enhance maritime domain awareness for the purpose of combating piracy, armed robbery and other unlawful activities at sea, to ensure effective management of our marine resources,” she added.
She noted that the management of the VTMIS system involved the collaboration of various stakeholders with statutory mandates in the security and safety management of the maritime domain, to keep watch over coastal territorial waters as well as the inland Volta Lake.
According to her, eight officers from the Ghana Maritime Authority have been trained both locally and in Finland for the management and operations of the VTMIS system.
“Eight more would soon be trained to ensure the long-term and proper maintenance of the vessel,” she explained.
The vessel which was constructed by ELTEL Network Corporation of Finland would be used by 10 state institutions, including the National Security Agency, Narcotics Control Board, Naval Command East, Naval Command West, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the Fisheries Department.
The rest are the Ghana Immigration Services, Customs Excise and Preventive Service, Volta Lake Transport Company and the Ghana Maritime University.
Source: GNA