Al Mukalla: Warships from the Saudi-led coalition on Tuesday ordered unregistered commercial ships that were mooring in the port of Al Qaida-controlled Mukalla city in southern Yemen to leave to international waters.
An official at the port’s control room told Gulf News on Wednesday that the coalition warships first warned the ships and then asked each ship to disclose a registration number or leave.
“The navy sailors talked directly with captains of all ships. Those who failed to give permission number were asked to leave the port immediately,” the official said on condition of anonymity. Five out of eight ships were seen sailing to international waters on Tuesday afternoon. A helicopter also hovered over the seaport immediately after the warning.
Despite the coalition’s control over the country’s airspace and coast, smuggling operations have flourished recently, especially after the Al Houthis lost control of all coastline regions on the Arabian Sea. The fuel-hungry militants depended on local figures said to be linked to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in the liberated areas to bring in fuel, needed for their military operations.
Last week, government officials in the southern province of Shabwa tipped off president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi about the alarming scale of arms, oil and migrants being smuggled using a small seaport called Bayda. Hadi asked them to use all means to choke off oil and arms supply lines to Al Houthis. On Tuesday, locals reported seeing a helicopter flying over the seaport as army troops seized dozens of oil trucks headed to Al Houthi-controlled territory.
In Mukalla, which has been under Al Qaida control since April, the official at the control room said that commercial activities in the small port have significantly increased in the past three months as local businessmen were allowed to ship in fuel. “There are between 25 to 30 ships entering the port every month. The ships are loaded with cement, iron and fuel.”
In April when Al Qaida stormed the city after brief clashes with army troops, only two ships anchored in the seaport.
For the ships seeking permission, the official said, their local agents in Mukalla fill a form and send it to the Yemeni ministry of transportation’s representatives in Riyadh, who forward it to the Saudi-led coalition.
In Mukalla, the helicopter’s sudden appearance for the first time since April has caused considerable panic as locals thought that the coalition was preparing to launch an offensive to wrest the city from Al Qaida. Others rushed to oil stations to fill up, thinking that the situation could lead to fuel shortages.
