The Ghana Navy has rescued seven suspected stowaways from a Belgian-registered crude oil tanker operating off the coast of Tema after the vessel raised an emergency alert over the presence of individuals hidden in its rudder trunk.
The rescue operation followed a distress call received through the Maritime Operations Centre after the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Abidjan alerted Ghanaian authorities on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
The tanker, identified as MT Cap Felix, was said to be operating about 200 nautical miles south of Tema Harbour at the time of the incident.
Addressing the media on Saturday, May 16, the Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command, Commodore Solomon Aseidu-Larbi, said the Navy immediately deployed Ghana Navy Ship (GNS) Achimota under the command of Commander Ishmeal Kofi Quansah to intercept the vessel at sea.
According to him, GNS Achimota departed Tema Harbour at about 7 pm on the same day and successfully reached the tanker, where naval officers safely rescued the seven male suspects from the vessel’s rudder trunk.
Commodore Aseidu-Larbi disclosed that preliminary investigations suggest the individuals are believed to be from a Ghanaian community living in Côte d’Ivoire and may have boarded the tanker illegally while it was anchored in Ivorian waters.
He further explained that the MT Cap Felix is a Belgian-flagged crude oil tanker with a gross tonnage of about 82,000 tons and an IMO number 9380738, adding that its last port of call before the incident was Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire.
The rescued suspects have since been handed over to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Ghana Immigration Service and the Marine Police for further investigations and possible prosecution. An officer of the Ghana Immigration Service told Graphic Online that the suspects would first be profiled before being transferred to the Ghana Police Service for further action.
