Disaster Boat Owner Absconds

Larweh Sabotey, owner of the boat which capsized on the Volta Lake at Golubu, near Yeji on September 4, has reportedly absconded after being granted police bail.

He was arrested by the Salaga police in the Northern Region after the disaster which claimed 24 lives.

The accident was blamed on overloading which made it impossible for the boat to survive a storm.

Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, Minister of Ports Harbours and Railways, who did not take the news of Sabotey’s alleged disappearance lightly, asked the Salaga police to ensure that he is rearrested.

Inaugurating a 25-member task force to monitor transportation on the Volta Lake here on Saturday, he criticized the boat operator for not heeding safety regulations and weather warning, and asked the Salaga police to ensure that he is duly prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.

The Minister said he would ensure that the personnel of the Salaga police were dealt with if they failed to re-arrest and prosecute Sabotey.

The boat is alleged to have been overloaded with cattle, yams, bags of rice and passengers when it capsized after it was hit by a storm.

“These accidents which have claimed many lives can be avoided if boat operators adhere to the relevant regulations,” he stated.

He urged the task force to ensure that regulations on lake transportation were strictly enforced.

“If we do not get serious, recalcitrant boat operators will continue to destroy the lives of many innocent people,” he said.

He also urged members of the task force to be strict in their monitoring and called for severe sanction against offenders.

The task force, formed as a result of recent fatal accidents on the lake, consists of personnel of the Ghana Navy, Army, Police and Fire Services, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and Marine Surveyors from the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA).

It is tasked to among other things, inspect all boats that ply the lake and ban those that are not in good conditions, ensure that boat operators adhere to safety measures and loading regulations.

In addition, the task force, with Naval Lieutenant Stephen Asante as chairman, is to ensure that boats set sail only in good weather condition.

It is also to ensure that boats without the appropriate lights do not sail at night. Peter Azumah, Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, deplored the condition of most boats operating presently on the lake.

“The boats presently used on the lake for transportation are not built to any proven design,” he said, adding that the boats are constructed without any supervision from the GMA.

He said the setting up of the task force was part of many measures being taken by the GMA and the sector ministry to ensure safety on the lake.

He said a new law to regulate lake transportation has been drafted and will soon be laid in Parliament.

He said the draft law, which is based on the International Maritime Organisation Model Regulations for non-convention vessels and fishing vessels, completely overhauls the existing law on safety on the Volta Lake.

“It-covers the design, construction, equipment and operation of boats used for transportation on inland waterways,” he said, adding that it also makes the GMA the lead administrator of safety on the lake.

“Under the new law, boats being built according to approved designs and materials, all transport boat owners will be licensed and the licence will be renewed on yearly basis,” he stated.

Alhaji Iddrisu Gariba, the Pru District Chief Executive, urged communities along the Volta Lake to collaborate with the task force.