Thread by @PuntlandPirates

A recent development in the saga of the Marwan 1, an IUU fishing vessel that once was part of the "Somali 7" slave-fishing operation detailed by @ian_urbina.

A few days ago, it was caught smuggling weapons and ammunition. (thread)

navy.mil/Press-Office/N…

On 1 Dec 22, the Marwan 1 was interdicted by the USS Lewis B. Puller in the Gulf of #Oman. Onboard were >1 million rounds of 7.62mm ammo; 25,000 rounds of 12.7mm ammo; nearly 7,000 proximity fuses for rockets; and over 2,100 kg of RPG propellant.

The Marwan 1 had been docked in Bandar Abbas, #Iran (27°08'49.3"N // 56°12'11.8"E) on 25 Nov 22 (sat imagery analysis courtesy of @IJM). Bandar Abbas has emerged as the preeminent loading point for weapons consignments destined for the #Houthis.

The Marwan 1's last AIS transmission was on 1 Dec 22, presumably shortly before it was intercepted.

Links between IUU fishing and arms trafficking networks have long been suspected. In my July 2021 report on IUU fishing for @GI_TOC, I highlighted possible ties between the owners of the Marwan 1 and two prominent arms traffickers in #Somalia and #Yemen.

globalinitiative.net/analysis/illeg…

The traffickers, Abdirahman Mohamed Omar AKA "Dhofaye" and Mohamed Hussein Salad, were recently sanctioned by #OFAC.

Originally the Chaichanachoke 8, the vessel was re-named Wesam 4 and re-flagged after the "Somali 7" operation was exposed in 2017. The Wesam 4 was in turn denied access to ports in #Thailand.

In June 2019, the vessel re-emerged as the Marwan 1. To crew it, 13 Kenyan seafarers were recruited through Seaport Operations Limited, an unlicensed agency in Mombasa.

These seafarers later claimed to have been subjected to forced labour, inhumane working conditions and human rights abuses. The Marwan 1 was in turn blacklisted by the #IOTC.

Sometime later, the vessel turned up in Mukalla, Yemen, and was impounded as a blacklisted vessel. Between 30 June and 3 July 2022 (again per @IJM), it was released and left Mukalla port.

And so the saga of the Marwan 1 continues...