Date of Award
2015
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Science in Maritime Affairs
Specialization
Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration
Campus
Malmö, Sweden
Country
Ghana
First Advisor
Dalaklis, Dimitrios.
Abstract
The dissertation is an assessment of the role of the VTMIS in enhancing efforts to bring down maritime security in the threats in the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa focusing on Ghana. According to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) is implemented by a Competent Authority to improve the safety and efficiency of vessel traffic and to protect the environment. Technological development today has led to significant improvements in vessel traffic service. Vessel Traffic Management Information Service is the integration of Management information systems to improve the quality of vessel traffic services. Vessel traffic services essentially are used for information services, navigational assistance services, traffic organisation services, and similar allied services. Increasingly, threats to maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea area are becoming major issues in the world. This study investigated the role of the VTMIS in Ghana in enhancing and combating maritime security threat such as piracy, smuggling and trafficking, in the Gulf of Guinea area. The study collected primary qualitative data from respondents from agencies in Ghana that uses information from the VTMIS for the assessment. It also relied on secondary data from the IMO and Ghana Maritime Authority on incidence of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The study revealed that VTMIS in Ghana contributes significantly to security of offshore installations in Ghana. It also reveal that Ghana’s VTMIS contributes significantly in monitoring and reporting maritime security issues in the Gulf of Guinea area.