The Hydrography and Navigational Services Division of the Ghana Maritime Authority provides hydrographic and navigational services in accordance with the standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), and the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA). The Division operates under the National Hydrographic Office and oversees navigation along Ghana’s coast.
Core responsibilities include:
- Surveying and charting Ghana’s waters, preparing charts, and disseminating draft information along the coast
- Installing, inspecting, and maintaining lighthouses, buoys, and other Aids to Navigation
- Demarcating safe water channels and waterways
- Identifying, marking, notifying, and removing wrecks and other hazards to navigation
- Reviewing and authorising the location of underwater cables, pipelines, terminal points, rigs, and other offshore installations
- Addressing environmental issues related to coastal and offshore developments
- Conducting preliminary investigations of maritime accidents and casualties in collaboration with other departments
- Collecting and compiling hydrographic data for navigational charts and publications to meet international standards
- Producing and distributing charts and publications
- Directing operations to find, position, and chart new navigation hazards
- Collating and disseminating tidal, current, and weather information for navigation along Ghana’s coast