Denmark, Ghana boost cooperation on sea safety

An authority-to-authority cooperation has been initiated between the maritime administrations in Denmark and Ghana to contribute to enhanced safety at sea and to develop the maritime sector in Ghana.

As explained, Ghana is one of the countries at the centre of the positive political and economic development that has taken place in large parts of Africa during the last decade. The maritime sector plays a major role in the continued development of Ghana, while the Danish shipping industry also has a large presence in West Africa.

    “International regulation of shipping is paramount to creating safety at sea and a level playing field in the global maritime sector. But regulation only has an impact if it is actually implemented and enforced all over the world. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we cooperate across the borders and learn from each other. Consequently, we are pleased to share our knowledge and experience in areas where Ghana requests our assistance for developing its maritime sector,” says Director General Andreas Nordseth from the Danish Maritime Authority.

In particular, as part of the ongoing cooperation between the two administrations, five Ghanaian ship surveyors have visited the Danish Maritime Authority this week and have exchanged knowledge and experience about their responsibilities when acting on behalf of their maritime administrations.

During the visit, a number of workshops have been held, and together the Danish and Ghanaian ship surveyors have carried out a number of and practical exercises on board the ferry to the island of Samsø and the ferry between the two towns of Hundested and Rørvig.

The visit was a follow-up on Danish ship surveyors’ visit to Ghana earlier this year and is merely one of several activities in relation to the cooperation between the two administrations.

The cooperation has been ongoing since 2015 and will continue until August 2018. More specifically, work is being made within three subprojects, i.e. implementation and enforcement of international maritime regulation, strengthening of pilotage in Ghana, and the introduction of digital navigation instruments.

Further, the authority-to-authority cooperation is implemented in a close partnership between the Danish Maritime Authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and the maritime authorities in Ghana. The cooperation aims to support a continuous sustainable development of Ghana and Danish business activities in West Africa.