Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammi Awuku, has demanded answers from the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) over its decision to waive a US$1 million penalty imposed on the MV Sankofa despite concerns raised about the vessel’s safety and registration.
In a Facebook post on Monday, August 31, 2026, Mr Awuku said the vessel was intercepted by the Ghana Navy off the coast of Axim in July 2025 with its Automatic Identification System switched off.
He said a subsequent inspection by the GMA found 14 missing statutory certificates, no oil or garbage record books, and no sewage holding tank, resulting in the vessel being declared unseaworthy.
According to Mr Awuku, the vessel also purported to fly the flag of São Tomé and Príncipe, but authorities in that country later denied ever registering it.
He said the GMA initially imposed a US$1 million penalty on the vessel but subsequently waived the amount, explaining that a later inspection had found no evidence that the vessel had been trading in Ghana.
Mr Awuku, however, questioned why the vessel was allowed to enter the Tema Fishing Harbour, move to the Tema Anchorage and eventually leave Ghana despite the concerns identified during the initial inspection.
He also raised questions about the vessel’s departure from Ghana on November 14, 2025, reportedly under Cameroonian registration.
According to him, the vessel was later detained in Senegal in connection with a drug investigation and was reportedly flying the Ghanaian flag at the time.
Mr Awuku further pointed to what he described as a US$60,000 discrepancy in pollution-related penalties contained in two GMA documents.
“GMA’s inspection report places the pollution-related penalties at US$139,200. Its RTI response dated 12 June 2026 gives the figure as US$79,200. That leaves an unexplained difference of US$60,000,” he said.
The Akuapem North MP said he would petition Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe, the GMA Governing Board and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to seek answers on the matter.
He said the GMA must explain the legal basis for waiving the US$1 million penalty, account for the discrepancy in the pollution-related penalties and identify the official who authorised the vessel’s departure.
“A vessel found unseaworthy, unable to establish the validity of its flag and missing essential statutory and pollution-control documentation should not pass through Ghana’s regulatory system without a complete and documented explanation of how it was cleared to leave,” he added.