The management of Tema Shipyard Limited has issued a rebuttal to reports suggesting the facility had become a hub for the sale of contaminated fish following a mysterious mass mortality event in the harbour area.

Addressing the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) during an emergency session on Friday, 10th April 2026, the Chief Executive Officer of the shipyard, Alhaji Osman Sulemana, expressed bewilderment at the narrative that a dry-docking and ship-repair facility would suddenly pivot into the fish trade.

The controversy began in the early hours of Monday, 6th April, when a vast swarm of dead fish was spotted floating along the shipyard’s slipway. The discovery was made during a routine disinfestation exercise, prompting an immediate alert to Port Health officials.

While the sight of the carcasses sparked public alarm that the fish might be harvested and sold to unsuspecting consumers, the shipyard maintains it was merely the unfortunate landing site for fish that had died elsewhere and drifted into its vicinity.

Alhaji Sulemana did not mince words when describing his frustration with the circulating reports, questioning why the shipyard was being targeted instead of the nearby Fishing Harbour.

“I am so surprised when the information is just circulating within the media circle, saying that people should not come in and buy fish at the shipyard. At the shipyard! We have nothing to do with this. We don’t have anything to do with either marketing,” he stated.

He further clarified that the facility lacks the infrastructure and the intent to operate as a fish market.

“There is no market for fish around here. And I’m surprised that they didn’t even attribute that thing to the Fishing Harbour, which is just in between us here. So I’m so surprised about that,” he added.

In a move to stabilise public sentiment, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has released a statement confirming that the incident at the Tema Port Shipyard does not currently pose an immediate threat to the general public.

While the cause of the mass mortality remains under investigation by environmental and marine experts, the GHS assured the public that surveillance has been heightened at local markets to ensure no contaminated products enter the food chain.

Port authorities and environmental scientists are currently testing water samples from the harbour to determine if the deaths were caused by a chemical spill, oxygen depletion, or other environmental stressors. In the meantime, the shipyard has cleared its slipway and resumed normal operations, eager to distance itself from a "fish market" label it says is entirely baseless.

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We do not sell fish!" - Tema Shipyard manager responds after dead fish found in water

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