Ghana Armed Forces and U.S. Maritime Forces have concluded the Africa Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP) operations as of February 24, 2015. The joint effort was officially closed by Commodore Mark Yawson, Flag Officer Fleet of the Ghana Navy, and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Tom Reck, Vice Commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet.
The operation included representatives from various organizations such as Ghana’s Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, the Marine Police Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Navy, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Coast Guard aboard the USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1), a Joint High Speed Vessel operated by the U.S. Navy. This collaboration led to the detection of three vessels violating Ghanaian maritime law, with citations issued for judicial proceedings.
Conducted from the USNS Spearhead with support from Ghana's surface vessels GNS Blika and GNS Chemle, along with coordination from the Ghana Maritime Operations Center, these operations are part of efforts to improve interoperability and deter illicit activities in seaways.
Rear Adm. Tom Reck remarked at the closing ceremony that "the results of this year’s AMLEP extend beyond the number of boardings and violations of maritime law," emphasizing that "the true end result is greater security in Ghana’s exclusive economic zone – security that I am confident will last."
This marks two consecutive years that the U.S. and Ghana have partnered under AMLEP as part of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) program. APS is an international initiative aimed at building maritime security capacity among partner nations to enforce their laws effectively and benefit economically from subsequent legal actions.