Stowaway man who boarded a ship from Guinea to UK arrested at Tema Port

• A Guinea-Bissau national has been disembarked from a ship at the Tema port

• The suspect reportedly joined a ship from his home country headed for the United Kingdom

• He has however been handed over to the Immigration Service to be repatriated back home

A Guinea-Bissau national, Sulemane Balde has been disembarked from a vessel by officials at the Tema Port, in Ghana.

The 28-year-old reportedly joined MV Aurora, via a mooring rope in the Port of Bissau on September 13.

The suspect had intended to reach the United Kingdom for greener pastures but was found by the crew of the ship on September.

According to the Tema Port Security Manager, Colonel Emmanuel Nyante, the suspect was disembarked at the port due to proximity.

He indicates that the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority has completed all processes and has handed the culprit over to the Immigration Service for repatriation back to his home country.

According to Colonel Nyante, Ghana’s ports for a long time, have not recorded any case of successful stowaways due to stringent measures deployed by port Authorities.

“At the Port of Tema, there is a procedure we call rummaging where we use trained working dogs to move within the vessel to ensure there are no stowaways before the vessel sets off. This is one way we have had success in the port,” he said.

He urged sister ports to implement collaboration measures against the menace of stowaway while advising potential stowaways about the potential dangers involved in such an act.

“I think we need to share procedures in each other’s ports while we are having non-reportage of stowaways in Ghana.

“Aside from the fact that it discredits the port and country, you could also suffer punishments from your home country when you are disembarked. What’s worse, sometimes, when you are found in high seas, you could be thrown overboard,” he said.