Ghana and Denmark have agreed to continue their maritime cooperation with focus on the use of environmentally sustainable solutions to ensure safety and compliance with international standards in the shipping value chain.
Both countries pledged to working on zero emission shipping goal with the objective to ensure that ships capable of running on zero emission fuels make up at least 5 percent of the global deep-sea fleet by 2030.
The relationship which is in furtherance of a letter of intent signed by the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen and President Akufo Addo in Accra on November 24, 2021 with commitment to enhancing collaboration in Ghana’s maritime sector.
The two countries’ strategic sector cooperation in maritime started in 2015.
Signing an MoU in Accra for the third phase of strategic maritime partnership to actualise and support the country’s maritime growth through safety of navigation with a green focus for the next three years – from 2022-2025, Director General of Danish Maritime Authority, Andreas Nordseth, said: “our objective is to promote sustainability, green growth and enhancement of the Ghana maritime sector through our world class Danish solution”.
Whereas the first and second phases of the partnership from 2015 to 2019 focused on e-navigation platform, enhanced maritime safety, enforcement of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulations, capacity for sea pilots, among others, the third phase, according to the partnership will enhance navigational safety on the Volta Lake through the use of digital infrastructure to detect danger on the waters.
Per the agreement, the Danish Geodata Agency is expected to utilise newest technologies at sea and data from satellites to enhance navigation on the Volta Lake.
Other thematic areas of the third phase include, enhancing compliance to international standards on commercial fishing, capacity development for tugboat masters and finally, making the Tema Port a recognised green port and preferred transshipment hub in sub-Saharan Africa.
Transport Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, said the country is focused on ensuring a well-regulated, effective shipping sector with a focus on sustainability, efficiency and safety for users of the maritime space.
Ghana, he said, has already declared support for the declaration on zero emission shipping by 2050 at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021 in Glasgow, adding, “the strategic sector cooperation with Denmark would be instrumental in the country’s commitment on climate change”.
Currently, Ghana is ensuring adherence and compliance to the IMO regulations on sulphur – a regulation which sets strict sulphur emission limits for vessels aimed at addressing air pollution from maritime transportation.
These compliances, the minister said, places the country at an enviable position as a strategic maritime gateway for imports and exports in the sub-region, adding: “we have been at the forefront of marine infrastructure developments in the region”.
Director General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Thoma Alonsi, said the collaboration will further enhance the work of the authority as it continues to make the Port of Tema, the best in West and Central Africa, whilst ensuring safety of navigation on the Volta Lake.
Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Tom Norring, explained that the project complements Denmark’s broad maritime agenda of promoting safe and secure maritime domain awareness in West Africa which will translate into a more efficient sea-borne trade.
