The Western Regional Marine Police Command has spearheaded a coordinated search operation for a missing fishing canoe, Second Chance, and its seven crew members, following the vessel’s failure to return from a fishing expedition offshore Axim.

The canoe reportedly departed the Sekondi Fishing Harbour on October 9, 2026, but remained unaccounted for as of Tuesday, October 20, triggering heightened concern over the fate of the crew.

According to a police statement issued on October 20, the canoe’s owner, Nana Kweku Atta, lodged a formal complaint at the Fishing Harbour Police Station in Sekondi on October 18, after efforts to establish contact with the crew proved unsuccessful.

Preliminary investigations have established that repeated attempts to reach the occupants of the vessel have yielded no response, leaving authorities grappling with uncertainty over their whereabouts.

Initial information gathered suggests that the canoe may have suffered engine failure at sea, potentially leaving it vulnerable to ocean currents and causing it to drift towards Tema and the Volta coast. Nevertheless, its last known position remains unverified, complicating efforts to delineate the search area.

The Western Regional Marine Police Command is collaborating with the Ghana Navy, Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Fisheries Commission and fishing communities in a concerted effort to trace the missing vessel and ascertain the whereabouts of its seven occupants.

As part of the operation, the Western Naval Command, Eastern Naval Command in Tema, relevant coastal police stations and chief fishermen have been alerted to facilitate the search and provide any intelligence that could prove instrumental in locating the canoe.

Authorities are also working to establish the vessel’s last known position to refine the search parameters and improve the prospects of locating the missing crew.

The prolonged disappearance has intensified apprehension over the safety of the seven fishermen, particularly given the possibility that mechanical failure may have left the canoe drifting without propulsion in open waters.

The Police have consequently appealed to fishing communities, maritime operators and residents along the coastline to exercise heightened vigilance and promptly relay any sightings of the Second Chance or information that could assist in tracing its movements.

Anyone with relevant information has been urged to report to the nearest police station to support the ongoing operation.

The search remains underway, with the Marine Police and collaborating agencies working to establish the vessel’s whereabouts and determine the circumstances surrounding its disappearance.

Sekondi Fishing Canoe, Second Chance, Missing Fishermen, Western Regional Marine Police Command, Ghana Navy, Ghana Maritime Authority, Fisheries Commission, Sekondi Fishing Harbour, Axim, Tema, Volta Coast, Maritime Safety,