The Ghana Navy has disrupted a major illegal fuel bunkering operation along the Keta–Denu–Aflao coastline in the Volta Region following an intelligence-led maritime patrol conducted on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
In a statement issued by the Ghana Armed Forces, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Commodore Solomon Asiedu-Larbi, said personnel aboard a Ghana Navy Ship (GNS) intercepted seven specially modified canoes, locally known as “dendes,” suspected to have been used for illicit fuel smuggling.
The vessels contained 378 empty barrels, an indication that they were intended for large-scale fuel transportation.
The Command Operations Officer at the Eastern Naval Command, Commander James Dzigbordzi Agrah, explained that fuel syndicates typically deploy large “mother vessels” stationed offshore, from which stolen fuel is transferred into smaller canoes and transported to coastal landing points.
He noted that the suspects abandoned the canoes and fled upon sighting the naval patrol.
The seized vessels were subsequently towed to the harbour for further investigations.
The Ghana Navy warned that illegal fuel bunkering poses serious risks, including loss of government revenue through tax evasion, the circulation of adulterated fuel in local markets, and environmental damage caused by fuel spills, which threaten marine life and fish stocks.
The Navy has therefore called on coastal communities to remain vigilant and report any suspicious maritime activities, stressing that public cooperation is critical to safeguarding national security, protecting marine ecosystems, and sustaining Ghana’s blue economy.
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