Kwamena, one of the seven fishermen from Sekondi who were stranded at sea for two weeks, has narrated how they survived after running out of food and water when their canoe’s motor broke down.

In an account of their ordeal, Kwamena explained that they set off from Ngyeresia, a coastal fishing community in the Western Region, but their canoe’s motor developed a fault, leaving them at the mercy of the sea.

According to him, they had planned to spend only five days at sea before returning home. However, their plans changed when the motor broke down just three days into the trip.

He said they tried several times to repair the faulty motor but were unsuccessful, leaving them with no choice but to remain at sea as the boat continued to drift.

Kwamena explained that because they had planned to spend only five days at sea, they had carried enough food and water to last them for that period.

However, when the motor broke down and they remained at sea beyond their planned return date, their supplies ran out, forcing them to find other ways to survive.

He said they resorted to drinking seawater and eating the fish they caught. Since seawater is salty, they boiled it in an attempt to reduce its salt concentration before drinking it.

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“Everything had run out, so we resorted to drinking seawater and eating the fresh fish we caught. We boiled the seawater to reduce its salt concentration before drinking it. For food, we cooked the fish we had caught until they all went bad, forcing us to dispose of them,” Kwamena explained.

He further disclosed that after the fish they had caught earlier went bad and had to be thrown away, they began using hooks and lines to catch fresh fish for their meals.

Their difficulties did not end there, as they also ran out of charcoal, which they needed to cook their food. With no charcoal left, the fishermen had to resort to using wood from their canoe to make a fire.

“We had fuel and matches but we ran out of charcoal so we were using the wood from the canoe,” he noted.

The seven Ghanaian fishermen, who had been missing for two weeks after their fishing canoe suffered an outboard motor failure, arrived safely at the Fishing Harbour in Tema on October 22, 2026, following a multinational search-and-rescue operation in the Gulf of Guinea.

The fishermen were identified as Kofi Emmanuel, 32; Uncle Amoah, 45; Kwamena Nkum, 29; Kofi Aboagye, 36; Doboa, 35; Agya Badu, 42; and Kwamena Akyem, 40.

They were aboard a fishing canoe named “Second Chance” when it drifted into Beninese waters after its motor broke down.

The fishermen had embarked on a fishing expedition from Sekondi to Axim in the Western Region on October 9, 2026.

However, the engine failure left them stranded at sea, where they had to endure harsh conditions and struggle to find food and water while winds and sea currents carried their canoe away from their intended route.

One of the seven fishermen from Sekondi who got stranded at sea for two weeks, Kwamena narrates how they survived after they run out of food and water after days when their motor broke down https://t.co/l7uWH0wq54 https://t.co/LEIRvmIdyL

— DailyGraphic GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) October 24, 2026