Dangerous secrets, hidden details unravel code of arms smuggling to Yemeni coast
SANAA, Nov. 19 (YPA) – Informed sources have revealed details and secrets surrounding the recent surge in arms smuggling to the Yemeni coast, highlighting the role of the vessel “SOCOTRA 1,” which has made numerous voyages between Dubai and Bosaso in the UAE-controlled Puntland region of Somalia.
The sources confirmed that the ship “SOCOTRA 1”, owned by “Almarcani Company”, registered in Panama, whose operational headquarters is in Al Hamriya Port in Dubai, UAE, with postal code “11195”, carried out several suspicious sea voyages transporting arms shipments within commercial containers that are regularly exchanged between the ports of Dubai and “Bosaso”, its last departure from the port of “Bosaso” was on October 30, heading to Dubai, before it returned only five days later in the early morning of November 4.
The ship SOCOTRA 1 transported 20 containers of weapons from the port of Dubai to Bosaso.
Sources revealed that the documents for the vessel “SOCOTRA 1” belong to businessman Adel Salim Obeid Al-Markani, a name frequently associated with several maritime companies operating in the logistics sector between the UAE and East Africa.
The ship unloaded 20 containers immediately upon arrival in Bosaso, then loaded another 20 containers that were already prepared at the port’s docks. The sources indicated that these operations take place at specific times under heavy Emirati guard, outside the supervision of official port authorities.
The sources stated that “by tracking the ship’s route via the Automatic Identification System (AIS), the global system used to determine the location and movement of commercial vessels in real time, tracking data showed that it has been making regular trips between the ports of Dubai and Bosaso on a fixed schedule for several months.” This information comes from an investigative report by the Sudanese newspaper “Brownland,” which refuted all claims regarding weapons arriving on Yemen’s western coast under the pretext that they are “Iranian shipments” destined for the Sana’a forces, many of which have arrived recently.
The smuggling of arms shipments from the port of Bosaso to ports in Yemen and Sudan
According to the sources, the port of Bosaso in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northeastern Somalia, located on the western shore of the Gulf of Aden, is one of the most important maritime routes in the Horn of Africa. It has become a hub for transporting dual-use shipments, both civilian and military, which are stored at the port and then transshipped to other destinations in Yemen and Sudan.
The sources indicated that the port of Bosaso has become a logistical center within an arms smuggling network originating in the UAE. This network travels across the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, passing through the Yemeni islands of Socotra, which are controlled by the UAE, and ultimately reaching conflict zones in Yemen and Sudan. The repeated occurrence of this route within short periods suggests the existence of an organized supply line managed directly by Emirati companies operating under multiple fronts.
Similar activities have been observed involving other ships flying the Panamanian flag, sailing from Dubai to Bosaso, Socotra, and sometimes the port of Mukalla. These vessels are used to store or transship weapons and ammunition under the guise of commercial and humanitarian activities, via routes utilized by front companies and private security networks.
Using Bosaso and the ports of Socotra and Mukalla to ship weapons under the guise of trade
According to maritime security experts, registering ships under the names of countries like Panama and Liberia is commonly used to conceal the true owner’s identity and avoid legal accountability in the event of discoveries of activities violating international law or UN sanctions.
The sources added that the ship “SOCOTRA 1” has become a regular fixture in this pattern, necessitating an independent international investigation to determine the nature of its cargo and its ultimate source of funding.
They described the UAE’s actions as part of a broader network for arms recycling and financing proxy wars through Somali and Yemeni ports, in blatant violation of UN Security Council resolutions concerning the arms embargo and the monitoring of maritime routes.
The UAE operates a network for transporting weapons and financing wars through Yemeni and Somali ports.
The sources pointed out that what is happening in these maritime corridors is not occurring in a vacuum, but rather with suspicious international silence and complicity from the United Nations, Interpol, the European Union, and the African Union. These organizations either ignore the violations or issue perfunctory reports that close the files without any real accountability, according to the newspaper report, which called for an independent and transparent international investigation into the activities of the ship “SOCOTRA 1” and its logistical networks extending between Dubai, Bosaso, and Socotra, which are exacerbating the bloodshed in the region.
Since 2017, the port of Bosaso has witnessed increasing influence of Emirati companies, most notably DP World, which signed a long-term operating agreement to develop and manage the port. Sea and air routes continue to operate between the UAE and Bosaso, which serves as a link between Yemeni ports in the transfer of weapons to the UAE-backed factions.
YPA