Meanwhile, the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GPHA) has denied reports that the fishermen who died after they were said to have clashed with Marine Police were being chased by the Police.
Public Relations Officer of the GPHA Abena Serwah Ofosu said the Police only seized the fishing net of those who were arrested.
She also told TV3 on News 360 on Thursday, July 27 that “they allege that they were being chased, why were they being chased because even those that were being caught inside at the port, they were not arrested, we only seized their nets from them so what will be the motive to chase them?”
Two fishermen in Tema Newtown in the Tema Metropolitan of the Greater Accra region were confirmed dead this dawn after a reported clash with some personnel of the Marine Police of the Ghana Police Service on the Tema sea waters.
The fishermen were reported to have gone fishing despite an existing moratorium on fishing activities for artisanal fishermen, which is expected to elapse on Monday the 31st of July
Personnel of the Marine Police and that of the Ghana Port and Harbours Authority who had gotten wind of the activities of these fishermen ‘ambushed’ them and in their bid to arrest them led to a collision between their speed boat and the Canoe in which the fishermen were traveling in.
This resulted in the canoe capsizing with two fishermen drowning while the whereabouts of 4 others are yet to be ascertained as per speculations by some fishermen.
The bodies of the deceased have since been deposited at the GPHA Maritime Hospital Morgue in Tema community three while the police and other relevant agencies begin an investigation into the matter.