Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson has disclosed that authorities have established contact with the seven crew members of the missing fishing canoe Second Chance, whose location has been traced to Togolese territorial waters, as efforts intensify to facilitate their safe return to Ghana.
Speaking to Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Mr Nelson said Ghanaian authorities were engaging their counterparts in Togo to coordinate arrangements for the crew’s safe repatriation.
He revealed that a briefing received earlier in the afternoon confirmed that contact had been established with the missing fishermen and their location identified within Togo’s maritime jurisdiction.
The Regional Minister added that the Togolese Navy had been notified and was assisting with efforts to ensure the fishermen returned home safely.
Mr Nelson explained that search and rescue operations commenced on Monday, October 19, after authorities received reports late on Sunday, October 18, that the canoe and its occupants had gone missing.
His disclosure follows an announcement by the Western Regional Marine Police Command that it was coordinating a search for the vessel and its seven crew members after they failed to return from a fishing expedition off the coast of Axim.
The search operation involves the Ghana Navy, the Ghana Maritime Authority, the Fisheries Commission, relevant coastal police stations and fishing communities, all working together to establish the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and locate the fishermen.
According to the police, the canoe’s owner, Nana Kweku Atta, reported the incident at the Fishing Harbour Police Station in Sekondi on Sunday, October 18.
Mr Atta informed investigators that the vessel departed the Sekondi Fishing Harbour on Friday, October 9, for a fishing expedition in waters off Axim but did not return at the expected time.
Preliminary investigations revealed that repeated attempts to reach the seven crew members by telephone had proved unsuccessful, prompting concerns about their safety and whereabouts.
A subsequent update indicated that the canoe might have experienced engine failure while at sea, potentially leaving it at the mercy of ocean currents and causing it to drift away from its intended fishing grounds towards Tema and the Volta coast.
The discovery that the crew members were within Togolese waters has provided authorities with a more definite location as they work with the neighbouring country to bring the fishermen home.
However, officials have not indicated whether the canoe sustained damage or confirmed the precise circumstances that caused it to drift into Togo’s maritime jurisdiction.
Efforts are therefore continuing to secure the crew’s safe return while the relevant authorities establish further details surrounding the incident.
