Rapid Response Boat

The Environmental Protection Agency has taken a delivery of a rigid hulled water craft purchased under the Oil and Gas Capacity Building Project to support Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) of marine and costal resources. The craft has an own trailer for maximum flexibility in the use of the vessel for coastal and inland waters patrols. The background to the need for the boat is that Ghana has a coastal zone stretching from the borders with the Republic of Togo in the east to the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire in the west and covers a total of 565 km. The coastal zone represents only 6,5 % of the country’s land area but inhabits about 25% of the nation’s population. Fishing and tourism are important industries in the coastal area. The possible effects of oil industry on other industrial and economical interests are of concern to Ghana. In this setting the emerging oil industry poses a challenge to Ghana’s costal population. The new patrol vessel will be used for inspections and first line emergency response in case of reports or suspicion about discharge of pollutants. In event of an actual pollution incident the vessel will be equipped for collection of samples and photo documentation to secure proofs of pollution. By being present at scene of an accident or in an area where pollution is suspected or observed, rapid remedial action can be initiated. It is intended that the rigid hulled water craft would provide a flexible rapid response capability for coastal monitoring control and surveillance. The vessel will also be very useful in rescue operations. Further, the vessel will have greater flexibility for full utilization by having trailer for coastal and inland waters operations. The objective of the patrols is to ensure compliance with national laws, collect data for environmental and fisheries management purposes, and conduct other maritime duties such as: search and rescue, environmental monitoring, hydrographic monitoring, and research on a cost recovery/shared agreement, as appropriate.