Ghana Navy arrests suspected pirate ship, crew on waters

The Ghana Navy has seized a ship and arrested its crew for suspected involvement in piracy, the government said today August 2, 2013.

Government officials indicated that the Ghana Navy in a joint operation with National Security intercepted and arrested the crew of a ship, MT MUSTARD, for suspected involvement in a piracy incident off the coast of Gabon.

In a statement, Ghana’s Information Ministry said, after the pirate incident, the MT MUSTARD then set sail for Ghanaian waters and first docked at the Tema port anchorage following which it headed for an offshore facility in Saltpond.

“MT MUSTARD is suspected to have been used to siphon off about 3,500 Metric tons of fuel from another vessel – MT COTTON – after the latter had been hijacked by suspected pirates on or about July 14, 2013 off Port Gentil, Gabon,” the government said.

The vessel was intercepted at Saltpond and the crew was arrested by the country’s security agencies – the Ghana Navy and the National Security, the statement said.

The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) is currently conducting investigations, it noted.

By Ekow Quandzie