Puntland said that the Turkish military training center and Somali businessmen in Mogadishu have claimed ownership of the arms cargo on board the MV Sea World, which was recently seized off the coast of Puntland.
A press release issued by the Puntland Presidency tonight said that both Turkeysom and the businessmen requested the release of the ship.
Puntland, on the other hand, strongly condemned a report from the Federal Government of Somalia that Puntland had hijacked the MV Sea World. It described the report as baseless and reflects incorrect information aimed at compromising the security of Puntland’s coasts.
“Puntland has taken full responsibility for the protection of the ship and the assets on board,” the press release said.
Puntland said that the ship’s search is still ongoing, noting that only weapons were on board the seized ship, and that there were no goods on board.
Finally, Puntland called on the Federal Government of Somalia and the Government of Turkey to fully participate in the completion of the investigation into the ship, in order to clarify the ownership of the arms shipment.
The Somali government yesterday accused Puntland of kidnapping and violating the terms of the SEA WORLD ship that was recently seized off the coast of Puntland, which was carrying weapons and military vehicles.
The Somali government said the ship was bound for the TURKSOM military training center, in accordance with defense cooperation agreements between Somalia and the Turkish government. The government also said it was carrying commercial goods belonging to Somali businessmen.
A statement from the Somali Ministry of Information said the seizure of the ship was a violation of the country’s constitution and a violation of the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
