Thomas Alonsi – Director General of the Ghana Maritime Authority
In tackling the growing menace of water pollution in the country, the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) has acquired three trash skimmers for collection and removal of oil, plastics and floating debris from the surface of all water bodies.
The amount of plastic litter in the marine environment is rapidly increasing and negatively affecting marine life, according to the Director General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Thomas Kofi Alonsi.
Mr Alonsi who briefed the media at the Information Ministry in Accra on Wednesday August 11, 2021, says there was a global concern and urgent need to develop concrete action plans to remove plastics and other marine debris from the ocean.
“For these reasons, the GMA acting in accordance with the provision of Marpol Annex (5) in the chapter (6) of the maritime pollution Act as acquired aquatic and trash skimmers to help address the plastic litter issues and marine debris in our water bodies,” he noted.
The Director General of the Maritime Authority explained that the skimmers were designed exclusively for the removal of trash and pollutants.
He indicated that they were made from sturdy hardware and industrial-grade motors and components, which enable them to operate in all water conditions.
The acquired skimmers are yet to be deployed along the various beaches and inland water bodies in Ghana to improve sanitation along coastline, he added.
By Annie Wharton Savage