Ghana to construct a Forward Operating Naval Base to secure oil fields of the coast. The President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo recently launched the construction of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region. The Base, when completed will provide better security to oil and gas installations by discouraging incidences of robbery, burglary and other sea crimes.
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Ghana’s Forward Operating Naval Base will have a capacity to host 150 military personnel and will also involve the construction of a Jetty, breakwater and settlement. The contractor is expected to complete the project in 33 months. President Akufo-Addo stated that security for the oil and gas installations was necessary given the occurrence of theft, burglary, hijacking for payoff and robbery on national and regional waters.
The Forward Operation Naval Base in Ghana will enable Ghana’s Navy to provide a rapid response to distress call from oil and gas fields in record times. The new Base will be 30 minutes away from the oil fields which is currently six hours from the Sekondi Naval Base. Other FOB’s will be constructed in Keta, Winneba and Elimina in the future including in the provision of a stock of six vessels and other gear to improve operational productivity.
Records sow that Ghana has upto 5 billion barrels of petroleum reserves and upto 6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The country has the 6th largest proven oil reserves on the continent of Africa. Security for the development of these resources will go along way enabling the country tap into this abundant resource for socio-economic development
In 2009 oil production was only 2900bpd which rose to 200,000bpd in 2019 and is expected to double to 400,000bpd by 2023 providing rapid response security teams to these off shore facilities will discourage piracy, robbery and hijackings and encourage investors to inject much needed funding to meet these ambitious targets.
