The Ghana Navy has formally alerted neighboring countries following a suspected pirate attack on the Ghanaian-registered fishing vessel MENGXIN 1 in the country’s territorial waters on Thursday evening, March 27, 2025.
This follows a statement by the Ghana Navy explaining how seven armed individuals boarded the ship around 17:53 hours, firing warning shots that created panic among the crew.
Several members of the crew, according to the statement, sought shelter in a safe area on board, while the pirates remained on the ship for about three hours.
During this time, the attackers gathered the crew on deck, confiscated their mobile phones, and later departed.
A part of the statement read, “Following their departure, the crew came out of hiding to find the Captain, Chief Mate, and Chief Engineer, all Chinese nationals, missing, who are suspected of being kidnapped by the attackers. The crew had to sail closer to land before reporting the event because there was no mobile network coverage at sea.”
It added, “The rest of the crew is safe, and the ship has now safely docked at Tema Fishing Harbour. The Marine Police and the Eastern Naval Command’s Naval Intelligence personnel have conducted initial interrogations, confirming the incident and the suspected abduction.”
In response to the attack, Ghana has engaged neighboring countries via the ECOWAS MMCC Zone F to assist in locating the kidnapped crew members and enhance regional coordination on maritime security.
The notification is part of the Yaoundé Architecture for maritime security, aimed at coordinating regional efforts to combat piracy.
“Information of the incident has been shared with neighbouring countries through the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) Zone F in Accra, under the Yaounde Architecture for maritime security. This was to alert our neighbours to also look out for the kidnappers.”
Intelligence agencies are working diligently to ensure the safe return of the missing individuals.
The Ghana Navy has reassured the public that efforts to secure the nation’s maritime environment are ongoing.
