Guard information centre for Jubilee Field

A COAST guard network information centre is to be established at the Jubilee Field in the Western Region to expose the activities of pirates and prevent attacks from them.
The information centre would also expose the dumping of hazardous materials along the country's coast lines.
The Deputy Director at the Sub-Division for Maritime Security and Facilitation of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Mr Chris Trelawny, told the Daily Graphic at a regional maritime workshop held in Accra that “The coming into existence of the network is refreshing for Ghana, particularly in the Jubilee Field as the country would be protected against any possible external attack in view of the production of oil on a commercial scale”.
He stated that a similar information centre would be set up in Angola.
Mr Trelawny said the selection of Ghana and Angola as the information centres for the Western and Central African States would be given a final seal this month when Transport Ministers meet in Senegal to append their signature to a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
He said the formation of the national maritime security committees would strengthen regional co-operation for purposes of protecting the marine environment and ensuring maritime security and safety towards sustainable economic development for Africa.
Mr Trelawny said the selection of the two countries which were to serve as information sharing hubs chosen from among 25 countries in West and Central Africa situated along the coast forms part of preparations towards the establishment of an integrated coast guard networks for the region to ensure a total protection of its territorial waters against pirates and terrorists activities.
The ceremony, which was jointly organised by the Maritime Organisaton for West and Central Africa (MOWCA), the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), assembled personalities from member countries of the MOWCA to deliberate on the issues at hand and forge a way forward, key among which was the setting up of the coastal guard network.
Earlier, the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Aku Attivor, acknowledged the contributions of the various participating countries for their readiness to fight maritime-related crimes.
The Director General of the GMA, Mr Issaka Peter Azuma, reiterated the commitment of his outfit to collaborate with international organisations on maritime affairs and play an advocacy role to ensure that the sub-region did not become a safe-haven for maritime crime, dumping of toxic chemicals and substandard ships.