A large Iranian based fishing dhow arrived in Bina (near the coastal town of Bargal, Bari region) this Tuesday.
Discussions with locals in the area revealed the ship was under the control of a group of seven pirates headed by Xabiib Mahdi from the Ali Saleebaan Clan, (sub clan of Majeerteen). Bina is an area 12 kms from Bargal where about 15 fishermen live. The majority of the people are from Siwaaqroon Clan (Sub-clan of Majeerteen). Bargaal, Bina , Rasu Bina and Murcayo are spots where pirates first dock pirated boats and then once loaded with a crew to guard them are moved to Garacad or Ceel Dhaane in Mudug region.
“My friends hijacked a big boat in the Gulf of Aden. I don’t know which country owned it, but the boat arrived yesterday afternoon in Bina residence near Bargal. Two aircraft also flew over the boat and after that the pirates were afraid to go back to sea with the boat," pirate Mohamed Ahmed from Bari told Somalia Report.
The Greek-owned MT Liquid Velvet first landed in Murcayo near Bargal then anchored off Garacad. If the pirates are from the Siwaaqroon or Cali Saleebaan clan (two sub clans of Majerteen) they will go to the Bargaal area first. Ships are rarely held in the Bari region. Currently there are just two hijacked fishing vessels off Bargal, one Yemeni and the Iranian ship. EU and NATO have been monitoring the coast for "pirate camps" and unusual ships to locate and track suspected pirate vessels. The ship was being loaded with equipment for pirate attacks. Pirates typically load small skiffs with fuel, weapons and improvised boarding ladders before heading out to sea.
“We don’t know where they are going, but we know that they are afraid of the aircraft. We think the planes are from an International anti-pirate groups,“ added Ahmed.
"We don’t know if pirates hijacked the ship or not, but I can confirm that the boat arrived in Bina,” Ahmed Gurey chairman of Bargaal District told Somalia Report.
Splitting the Spoils
The $6M dollar ransom paid for the Rosalia D'Amato has been split up and the head pirate Canbe from Dishishe (Daarood Clan) is in Galkayo and on his way to Bososo to deliver the splits to the investors.One pirate commented: “They were lucky to get $6million, when I was on MV Dover we took only $3.8million. It took two days to count and divide the ransom," pirate Mohamed Ahmed said.