Marine Police launch massive search for missing canoe and 7 fishermen off Western Coast
Vessel “Second Chance” missing for 11 days; feared drifting towards Tema after engine failure
The Western Regional Marine Police Command has launched a multi-agency search operation for a missing fishing canoe, “Second Chance,” and its seven crew members after the vessel failed to return from a fishing expedition off Axim.
The canoe, owned by Nana Kweku Atta, departed the Sekondi Fishing Harbour on October 9, 2026, for offshore Axim but never returned.
The disappearance was reported at the Fishing Harbour Police Station in Sekondi on October 18, after all attempts to contact the crew failed.
According to a statement issued on October 20, 2026, by Chief Superintendent of Police Olivia E.T. Adiku, Head of the Public Affairs Unit, Western Region, preliminary investigations suggest the canoe may have suffered engine failure and drifted towards Tema and the Volta coast.
However, police say the vessel’s last known position is yet to be confirmed.
The search now involves the Ghana Navy – both Western and Eastern Naval Commands, Ghana Maritime Authority, Fisheries Commission, coastal police stations and chief fishermen along the coast.
The Eastern Naval Command in Tema has been placed on high alert over fears the canoe may have drifted eastwards.
Police have appealed to fishing communities along the entire Ghanaian coastline to report any sighting of the canoe to the nearest police station as efforts intensify to locate the seven fishermen.
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