DANGER...Stay off he oil rig, fishermen warned (LEAD STORY)

COMPANIES currently engaged in oil exploration off the coast of Cape Three Points are to begin testing oil wells this weekend to enable the experts to confirm the grade of the discovery.
The test of the find, which has been described as the largest discovery in deep water West Africa and potentially the largest single field discovery in the region, would be undertaken by Kosmos Energy and its partners in collaboration with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
The testing will involve allowing the oil to flow to the surface for some measurements to be taken.
As a result, the companies have warned that this activity could be very dangerous to life since there would be flaring of a lot of gas at this stage.
This was made known at a stakeholders meeting in Sekondi yesterday, during which the companies took the opportunity to warn fishermen who conducted their fishing activities near the oil rig of the dangers they would face, if they went near the rig during the exercise.
And to give weight to the caution of the experts, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have warned fishermen to desist from operating within three nautical miles of the drilling rig because that could put their lives in danger.
“This operation is dangerous as it would involve intense fire, fuel, oil, smoke, fumes etc. to destabilise the mass of sea water in the discovery area,” a statement issued by the GAF and signed by the Director of Public Relations, Colonel E. W. K. Nibo, said.
It warned that during the testing there could be explosions that may cause a major disaster involving the loss of lives.
It further added that “any group of fishermen who ignore this final warning does so at great risk to their lives and if arrested would face prosecution”.
According to the statement, although the GNPC organised two stakeholders’ meetings with the Western Naval Command, the Ministry of Fisheries, the Chief Fisherman and fishermen from the Western Region to discuss the disruptive effects of fishing around the drilling rig, some fishermen continued to interfere with the exploration activities.
“As of Friday, May 23, 2008, the fishermen were still tying their canoes to the anchor lines of the drilling vessel. The Navy in their recent patrol have also retrieved fishing gear around the rig,” the statement said.
It said that was an indication that the fishermen continued to interfere with petroleum exploration activities around Cape Three Points.
At today’s meeting, the Lead Geophysicist of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Mr Richard Addo Darko said the fishermen were still going near the oil rig inspite of the continuous education that tying the ropes of their canoes to the anchor of the oil rig was very dangerous.
According to Mr Darko, most of these fishermen were believed to have come from Dixcove, Axim, Sekondi and Shama.
“We have also sighted other canoes from the coastal towns of Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire ”, he said.
He said the GNPC had been doing community education from Half Assini to all the coastal towns but some of the fishermen were still recalcitrant.
The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwasi Blay reiterated the urgent need for the fishermen to stay out of where the oil rig had been located since their activities were hampering the operations of the companies.
He urged the district assemblies along the cost to replicate the stakeholders meeting at the local level to help curb the activities of the fishermen near the rig.
The Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command, Commodore Frank Daley, noted that the fishermen were showing gross indiscipline by going near the oil rig after several warnings.
He therefore suggested that a definite action should be taken to stop them from fishing near the rig.
The Chairman of the Sekondi branch of the Ghana Inshore Fishermen Association, Mr Francis K Eshun, said members of the association had been advised not to go near th rig and that anyone who flouted this advice would be fined $1000.
He, therefore, called on the authorities to punish all fishermen who would go near the rig.