In those waters considered the world 's most risky zone because of piracy, as a P & I insurance requirement except for the Military Frigate, barbed wire was taken along the entire deck, 3 armed security personnel were employed on the ship and many security – navigational rules were applied. In addition, a protocol was signed with the Naval Forces Command regarding the rules and navigation principles that must be observed during the course of the course with the Frigate from the Suez Canal exit. Within this protocol communication, standards were set in many respects in accordance with radio and radio frequency use, fueling, iron and drift waiting, tracking distance and safety rules.
During the 48 hour cruise from Berberaport to Bosasoport, the weather was quite clear, the sea was calm and comfortable. Along the Gulf of Aden, the route was parallel to the shore. During the cruise we listened to pirates attacks and ship hijacking stories and rhetoric from the ship's crew.
After a safe cruise, it was anchored to Bosaso on 04.10.2016. The surprise waiting for us was that despite the promise to us, a ship loaded with cement was berthing just a few hours before we arrived at the pier( MV AN-AFRICA ). When we started to keep our ship in the anchor of necessity, we faced with the pressures of the General Staff and Naval Forces again and we began to receive warnings about obeying deadlines. While the ship was waiting in the anchor, we immediately landed and tried to establish necessary negotiations and contacts. I reminded them of the words they gave us. They told that there was a disconnect. This docking which is very surprising for us, after our 1 day's waiting in anchor and our intensive intervention and negotiations, the cement ship's unloading was cut off and sent again to the open site and we could approach with the difficulty and dangerous maneuver to the beth on 05.10.2016 at 11:00..
ONLY 2.8 METERS' DEPTH WAS LEFT BEFORE SHIPWRECKING
Because of the shortness of the pier and the fact that several small technicians are connected to the front, 1/3 of our ship was left out of the dock after docking. For this reason, the maneuvering and landing maneuver was provided by rope ladders.
After negotiations with Bosaso port and agency authorities, they gave 1500 ton / unloading rate per day for 3500 tons of sacked flour and sugar we will unload at the port. This meant that the unloading would be done within 2 days. Although not very convincing, we informed the Naval Forces and Ankara as 3 days. Surprisingly, unloading was completed as soon as possible in the most primitive port, on the date of 08.10.2016, 2.5 days after the landing of the ship.
While the completion of the operation gave us happiness and joy in all of us, a long return home was waiting for us. On this route, first there was a travel of 500 km from Bosaso to the city of Garowe. We had a chance to see the interior of Somalia on this journey, which we have traveled for about 7 hours in a geographical region, which could be named desert.
A PETROL STATION ON THE WAY..
In the desolate villages on the outskirts, it was worth seeing the children in the ghosts look with amazement and fearful eyes, and even some of their cries because I was the first white person they had ever seen.
Another unforgettable incident on this trip was to find a little boy about 3 years old by the side of the road when going on a deserted road. The child was standing on the edge of the deserted road barefoot under a 45 degree temperature. As we stopped to look at the child, we realized that he had escaped from a small village about 2 km away and walked unconsciously up to there. We took him to the village and her mother right away. It was inevitable for him to die in these roads where very few vehicles passed if we had not run into him.…
We also stayed overnight in the capital city of Garowe, the capital of Puntland province, and the State President Abdullah Mohammad Ali accepted us at his home and thanked all the Turkish people for their help and greetings.
The next day we headed to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, from Garowe scheduled with an airborne airplane, at an airport completely covered with soil.
With another flight to Nairobi we went to Ethiopia - Addis Ababa city. From there to Istanbul with THY scheduled flight. Then, we reached Ankara on 09.10.2016 with a transfer flight. The next day, we handed over all the delivery minutes and other related documents to the institution and completed the operation successfully.
I would like to thank all my colleagues for their support during the whole operation, the staff of Turkish Red Crescent and all the local top executives from the top-level state to the port worker, for their kindness and sacrifice in completing such a sacred task.
Some interesting moments and situations I have witnessed in Africa travel which lasted for about one month …
I WAS BITTEN BY AN INSECT I DO NOT KNOW. IT TOOK ONE MONTH FOR ME TO RECOVER.
A YOUNG ANTELOPE I ENCOUNTERED IN THE GARDEN OF OUR HOTEL IN THE MORNING
THE OTTOMAN MOSQUE BUILT 180 YEARS AGO AND STILL IN USE-BERBERA / SOMALIA
THE COUNTRY IS UNFORTUNATELY VERY UNCONSCIOUS ABOUT COAST AND ENVIRONMENT CLEANING..
7 TONS OF BABY DIAPER J
A SHARK ON OUR ROD
IN SOMALI, FISH IS MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE THAN MEAT..THESE TWO FISH COST ONLY 6 USD
IT IS USUAL FOR BIRDS TO BE CLOSE TO FISH..
THE “MV SEA AMORE” SHIP BY WHICH WE REALIZED THE AID OPERATION OF 11.000 TONS TO SOMALI-MOGADISHU IN AUGUST 2016, AND THE CHARTERED “MV LILA” FOR THIS OPERATION APPROACHED TO THE BERBERA PORT CONSECUTIVELY. IT WAS REALLY AN INCREDIBLE COINCIDENCE…
In these regions where there are the threats of "LIFE", not "COMMERCE" in these operations which even the people of neighboring countries talk about in horror and do not even think about visiting, it requires you to be on the alert for security everywhere, every moment and every minute. Even if it was described as a story, all of it happened in an environment where the risks and the hazards were based entirely on facts, and unfortunately the weapons became a regular part of life and also took part in our photographs in this environment ... Also only a few days after we finished our evacuation and returned to our country from the last operation point BOSAO port, the area was seriously messed up agains and ISIS forces seized another port (Kandala Port), just 90 km from Bosaso port.
http://haber-t32.com/dunya1/isid-somalide-bir-limani-ele-gecirdi.html
Throughout this operation, where I witnessed many different cultures, geographies, ethnic structures and living conditions and occasionally risks and dangers, I felt forced to appreciate the wishes and desires of human beings to live in difficult geographies and to appreciate the conditions we have in our country. The positive and peaceful heritage which has been left behind by our ancestors in this far corner of Africa, where various buildings, mosques and madrasahs that have survived from the Ottoman era are still in use, a familiarity and impression that the Turkish people are described as "Real Brother"; and our load was a free food aid from "a brother nation to another nation at a difficult time" called "blood and soul" in the solidarity environment was the greatest support for our finishing this operation with salvation and the most supreme sacred value. It was up to us to just bring the pieces together. Knowing that we will carry the happiness of being able to do this all our lives, we would like to thank the Turkish Red Crescent and the authorities who recognized this chance and we give our respects to the supreme Turkish Nation which has contributed to this with its donations..
Yakup Akın.
