How 7 Ghanaian fishermen survived nearly two weeks at sea without food, water

Seven Ghanaian fishermen have recounted how they survived nearly two weeks at sea after their canoe’s outboard motor broke down, leaving them stranded without adequate food and drinking water.

According to a report by JoyNews, the fishermen, all from Sekondi, embarked on a fishing expedition to Axim in the Western Region on October 9, 2026, aboard a canoe named Second Chance.

Their journey took a dangerous turn three days later when the outboard motor stopped working. Despite several attempts to repair it, the fishermen could not get the engine running, leaving them stranded at sea.

Kwamena Nkum, a 29-year-old member of the group, said their food and water supplies ran out five days after the engine failure.

With their supplies exhausted, the men resorted to catching fish to survive. Some of their initial catch spoiled and had to be discarded, forcing them to use hooks and lines to catch fresh fish for food.

Nkum said the fishermen also attempted to drink seawater after running out of drinking water, boiling it in an effort to reduce its salt concentration.

Their situation became more difficult when they ran out of charcoal. Although they had fuel and matches to make a fire, they eventually resorted to burning wood taken from their canoe to cook their catch.

After drifting for several days, the men eventually sighted land at night. Nkum said one of the fishermen who was still awake alerted the others, prompting them to switch on their mobile phones and try to contact people on shore.

They later received a call from a friend, Kingsley, who was in contact with people back home. The fishermen reached out to their fishing leaders and tried to establish their location.

Although they initially believed they had drifted into Togo, they later discovered they were in Beninese waters.

According to him, Kingsley and the fishing leaders contacted the chief fisherman in Benin, who provided the stranded men with food and water.

The fishermen subsequently received assistance from local fishing communities as well as the Beninese and Togolese navies.

They were eventually handed over to the Ghana Navy by a Togolese naval vessel at the Ghana-Togo maritime border on October 21, 2026. The men later arrived safely at the Fishing Harbour in Tema following a joint search-and-rescue operation.

The seven fishermen were identified as Kofi Emmanuel, 32; Uncle Amoah, 45; Kwamena Nkum, 29; Kofi Aboagye, 36; Doboa, 35; Agya Badu, 42; and Kwamena Akyem, 40.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Nkum said carrying a second outboard motor could have helped prevent the emergency from escalating. He stressed the importance of having backup equipment before embarking on fishing expeditions.

The incident highlights the dangers fishermen can face when mechanical failures leave them stranded far from shore, particularly when their food and drinking water supplies run out.