Port of Berbera

Al Xayaat, one of two waterfront restaurants in Berbera, advertises the Al Hayat Tourist Boat	The Port of Berbera is full of shipwrecks, including this flotilla of four	Lunch with a view, one of the newer wrecks in Berbera	Beach at the Al Xayaat Restaurant, Berbera
Ibis mingling with gulls by the water, Berbera	Raven, Berbera	A small fishing boat with Berbera's lighthouse	Raven sitting on the fence at Al Xayaat
The Al Xayaat Restaurant is not exactly beautiful...	but we found the food here at Al Xayaat to be the best we had in Berbera	Shipwrecks, late afternoon, Berbera	Shipwrecks, late afternoon, Berbera
We were told that the oldest of the wrecks dates from the Ethiopian wars of the 1970s	Small tomb or shrine on a spit of land across the harbour, Berbera	Shipwrecks at sunset, Berbera	Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), Somaliland
Beach of Berbera Harbor at the old city	Dinghys tied up by the stone jetty, Berbera	We went back to Al Xayaat Restaurant to find a boat to take us on a harbour cruise to see the wrecks up close	They found us a boat, but needed to first get permission from the port security office for us to embark
We haven't seen the boat yet, but I'm expecting something like that	Al Xayaat Restaurant & Fish House, Berbera	While we wait, the local cats entertain us	Cat people, here's an idea...find an old fishing net
Cats playing in the fishing net, Berbera	The chase is on!	Cat pouncing on the fishing net, Berbera	Somali boy wading in the shallows, Berbera
The newest wreck in the Port of Berbera is still tied up to the pier	Small boat repair, Port of Berbera	Neil Marine, Port of Berbera	Arabic dhow settled on the bottom at low tide, Berbera
Permission granted, we head out onto the small jetty to where our boat awaits	Tiny fishing boats pulled ashore by the Old Town, Berbera	...not exactly a pirate ship...	Wrecks of the Port of Berbera, Somaliland
Dhow, Port of Berbera	There's our boat for a 1 hour tour	Climbing down through a crack in the crumbling jetty, Berbera	The First Mate manning a rope
We're off, minus one SPU	Grounded dhow at low tide, Port of Berbera	Karen and Will on a non-traditional scenic harbour cruise around the Port of Berbera	Shipwrecks of Berbera
This one, they told us, is the oldest of the Berbera wrecks still above the surface, dating from the Ogaden War	Burned out wreck of the Basse Terre registered Mariam Star	The Mariam Star caught fire in the Port of Berbera in September 2009	The Mariam Star belonged to Dubai-based Al Hufoof Shipping & Forwarding
Wreck of the Mariam Star, Port of Berbera	Another ship with the same owner, the M/V Laila, was detained by the port for compensation for lost cargo on this ship	A narrow sand spit forms a protective barrier creating the Port of Berbera	Four wrecks in the middle of Berbera Harbor
The water isn't deep enough for them to sink properly	The Ogaden War was fought between Somalia and Ethiopia 1977-1978 over the disputed Somali region of Ethiopia	I wanted to get closer, but the north side of the harbour is too shallow even for our tiny boat to pass	Ship wreck with a twist
The sand spit forming Berbera's natural harbour, used as a port since antiquity	Wreck of the livestock transporter Muafak, Port of Berbera	Bridge of the Muafak emblazoned with "Allahu Akbar"	Shipwrecks of the Port of Berbera, Somaliland
Crumbling port-side building of the Old Town of Berbera	The newest victim of the Port of Berbera, the livestock carrier Estancia	Livestock carrier allegedly bound for Syria burned on 18 August 2013	Click for the news video
Livestock Carrier Estancia at the Port of Berbera	I'm guessing they'll eventually tow the wreck out to join the raft of the other four to rust in peace out of the way	Dhow in the Port of Berbera	Photogenic wrecks of the Port of Berbera
Wrecks of the Port of Berbera	The harbour is too shallow to submerge the wrecks	Wreck of the Muafak with the Mariam Star in the background	The "First Mate"
The Port Authorities limited the area of the harbour we were allowed to visit so we circled around quite a bit to fill our hour	Islamic tomb and a wrecked stone house on the sand spit across from the harbour	I wonder if the dhows at the Port of Berbera come all the way from Dubai Creek	Old buildings by the Port of Berbera
We weren't allowed to approach the lighthouse by land or sea	The dhow is flying the flag of Somaliland	Container ship unloading at the Port of Berbera, Somaliland	Cargo vessel Barwaaqo, named after a town in the southwestern Gedo regio of Somalia, Port of Berbera
Burned an abandoned, the Estancia at the Port of Berbera 4 months after burning	Record of the Estancia at Shipspotting.com	The charred IMO number 740944 still visible on the Estancia	Scenic Harbor Tour, Berbera
The "First Mate"	Crew member sitting up at the bow	Our translator from Hargeisa had never been on a boat before...he was very excited	Arabic-style dhow, Port of Berbera
Dhows like this fill Dubai Creek, some of them coming all the way to Africa	Four shipwrecks jumbled together	The harbour is shallow in places	Shipwrecks, Port of Berbera
As we circle around, each ship becomes more distinct	Barnacle encrusted rusting shipwrecks, Somaliland	There's enough room for our small boat to pass between the wrecks	Close up encounter with the shipwrecks in the Port of Berbera
It must be low tide now	Rusting wrecks, Port of Berbera	Shipwreck, Port of Berbera	Close up view of one of the wrecks, Port of Berbera
Shipwreck closeup, Berbera	Bridge of one of the wrecks	Listing to port	The wrecks must be resting on the shallow bottom
Sailing among the shipwrecks littering the Port of Berbera, Somaliland	Shipwreck, Port of Berbera	Bow of one of the wrecks, Berbera	Wreck of the Muafak, Berbera
The ship's name, Muafak, still clearly visible on the bow	The Muafak sits on the bottom stern first	Wreck of the Muafak, Port of Berbera	Wreck of the Muafak, Port of Berbera
"Allahu Akbar" incribed over the bridge windows of the Muafak	Wreck of the Muafak, Port of Berbera	Stern of the Muafak	Wreck of the Muafak, Port of Berbera
Some paint remains on the funnel of the Muafak along with an Arabic letter	Shipwrecks, Port of Berbera	These shipwrecks are clearly visible on Google Earth	Wreck of Muafak, starboard side, Berbera
Shipwrecks, Port of Berbera	Seabirds roost on the wrecks, Berbera	The boat's crew said this is the oldest of the wrecks	This wreck will probably not last much longer before it completely rusts through and the stern collapses
Passing beneath the bow of the Mariam Star, Port of Berbera	Bow of the Mariam Star, Port of Berbera	Wreck of the Mariam Star, Port of Berbera	Wreck of the Mariam Star, Port of Berbera
"SK" in a rad circle on the funnel of the Mariam Star	Fishing Boat, Port of Berbera	Made in Sri Lanka - Negombo Marine	Beached wreck of a (formerly) floating crane, Port of Berbera
A pair of Somalia-built fibreglass boats from the Hidig Boat Factory in Bosao	Hidig Boat Factory, Bosaso - a port town in Puntland, Somalia	Fishing boat painted up in the colours of the Somaliland flag	Beached dhow at low tide, Port of Berbera
Whitewashed shrine on the spit of land separating the Port of Berbera from the Gulf of Aden	Shady side of the shipwrecks	The Somaliland Coast Guard restricted the parts of the harbor we could visit	To fill the hour we paid for, we made another pass by the main wrecks
Shipwrecks, Port of Berbera	Rusted over lettering of the ship's name "EMINENT"	Wreck of the Eminent, the one in the middle	Smiling Will, our host in Somaliland
Shipwrecks, Port of Berbera	Shipwrecks, Port of Berbera	Shipwrecks, Port of Berbera	Shipwrecks, Port of Berbera
Submerged stern of the Muafak, Port of Berbera	Wreck of the Muafak, Port of Berbera	Wreck of the Muafak, Port of Berbera	Wreck of the Muafak, Port of Berbera
There's a 5th wreck, a mostly submerged barge	Rusted rudder of a shipwreck	The name of this one is long since rusted away	A man squats on the crumbling pier
Back on land, well, the crumbling pier anyhow	Fishing boats at low tide, Port of Berbera	Wreck of a small boat along the beach by the pier, Berbera	Fishing boats, Port of Berbera
Somaliland colors on the gate to the fishing port