Ghana navy foils illegal fuel bunkering operation

The Ghana Navy has foiled a major illegal fuel bunkering operation along the Keta-Denu-Aflao coastline in the Volta Region. 

The operation, conducted on January 15, 2026, followed an intelligence-led maritime security patrol in the Eastern Corridor. 

Sailors onboard a Ghana Navy Ship (GNS) intercepted seven modified canoes suspected to be engaged in illicit fuel bunkering activities. 

At a press briefing at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC), the Flag Officer Commanding, Commodore Solomon Asiedu-Larbi, disclosed details of the interception. 

He said the specially built canoes, locally known as “Dendes,” contained about 378 empty barrels designed specifically for smuggling fuel at deep sea. 

“The construction and configuration of these canoes clearly point to their use in organised illegal fuel bunkering operations,” Commodore Asiedu-Larbi stated. 

He commended the naval crew for their professionalism and vigilance and reaffirmed the Ghana Navy’s commitment to combating fuel bunkering, illegal fishing, smuggling, and other transnational maritime crimes. 

The FOC revealed that, under the guidance of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing, additional maritime assets were being deployed to strengthen surveillance. 

Commander James Dzigbordzi Agrah, Command Operations Officer at ENC, explained that the seized canoes were towed to the harbour after the perpetrators fled upon sighting the Navy ship. 

He said fuel bunkering syndicates typically use larger “mother vessels” offshore to offload stolen fuel into smaller canoes for smuggling to coastal landing sites. 

Commander Agrah noted that the practice leads to revenue losses through tax evasion, fuel adulteration, and environmental pollution that endangers marine ecosystems. 

Commodore Asiedu-Larbi announced intensified community awareness programmes, the use of unmanned aerial systems, and deeper stakeholder collaboration to dismantle such networks. 

He urged coastal communities to report suspicious activities, assuring that the Ghana Navy remained committed to securing Ghana’s maritime domain and blue economy. 

Source: GNA