Environment and Safety Standards

The Environment and Safety Standards Unit is part of the Technical Services Division of the Ghana Maritime Authority. The unit is responsible for implementing the Maritime Pollution Act, 2016 (Act 932), along with international maritime environment and safety regulations that Ghana has adopted.

The unit’s work is organized under two functions: coastal state activities and inland waterway activities.

Coastal State Activities

The unit oversees environmental safety along Ghana’s coastline and at its ports. Core functions include the following:

  • Policy and regulation — issuing policies and regulations for environmental safety in the maritime sector
  • Inspections and audits — conducting regular inspections of port facilities, maritime service providers, and small-scale boat builders to verify compliance with environmental standards
  • Permits—issuing permits to port waste management organisations
  • Oil spill preparedness — coordinating Ghana’s response readiness for oil spills and other marine pollution incidents
  • Ship scrapping oversight — monitoring ship recycling and scrapping activities to ensure they meet environmental standards
  • Compliance enforcement — overseeing compliance of maritime service providers with the Maritime Pollution Act and related regulations

International Conventions

Ghana has adopted the following key international conventions through this unit:

  • MARPOL — International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
  • Ballast Water Management Convention (2004)
  • AFS — International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships
  • OPRC — International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation

Inland Waterway Activities

The Authority’s inland waterway environmental and safety work focuses primarily on Volta Lake, with activities extending to other major rivers and lakes. For full details on safety codes, naval task force operations, boat inspections, casualty investigations, and the Inland Waterway Safety Code, see the Inland Waterways page.