Muunye SHIFCO

[OLOL]

SOMALI HIGH SEAS FISHING COMPANY (SHIFCO)

Posted under General News by Somali Fisheries Society (81.136.130.246) on Thursday February 03 2005 @ 07:48PM CET

In 1981 there has been in Somalia the implementation of various development projects following the establishing of an economic cooperation between Somalia and Italy. Among those projects there was a fishery project or a high seas fishing project, which has been on the agenda of public interest for the last 14 years. The idea of the project was firstly concepted by an Italian business man. Yet, the purpose of the project was to help the Somali nation gaining enough foreign exchange to improve its trade balance and create job opportunities for its people, especially the seamen, by exploiting its huge marine resources. It’s well known that Somalia is endowed with a coastal belt which is long more than 3000 km.

 

Therefore, the first stage of the project began in the same year with three fishing vessels namely M/n Cusmaan Geedi Raage, M/n Faarax Omaar, and M/n 21 October instead of two fishing vessels and a mother-ship as previously agreed. The project under the denomination of “Somitfish†was managed by a mixed(Italian-Somali)board of directors under the Ministry of Fishery and

Marine Resource. Nevertheless, the project ceased its activities because of mismanagement, which resulted in causing heavy financial losses to the ministry. It was then, inevitable, that the three fishing vessels were anchored in Mogadishu port till further orders after five years of a complete failure. In addition, the Italians who were involved in the mismanagement were expelled from Somalia in 1985 after a Court in Mogadisho had got the proof necessary for their conviction.

In August of 1987 the project was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs then leaded by Mr. Abdurahman Jama Barre, as the rest of the projects which were being financed by the Italian Govern ment at the head of the late Prime Minister Bettino Craxi. At the same year Munye Said Omar was appointed as General Manager of the fishery project under the denomination of “Shifcoâ€.In addition, between 1987 and 1990 Munye was also a member of a mixed committee (Somali-Italian) which had been entrusted the vital task of managing the Italian Aid Fund(FAI) to Somalia, and the President of a newly completed zootehnic project known as Gisoma, although he was then only a newly graduate hydraulic engineer, who had no experience in management. Nor would it be true to say that the above-mentioned appointments were attributable to any special ability or virtue of the engineer.

Indeed, he was until 1985 a dependent of an Italian company which won a tender for the construction of the drainage for Mogadishu city.

 

 

The fact is that historical circumstances favoured him. The regime was in need for people to be employed in the government offices after educated and experienced top government officials left the country in protest of the dictatorship; and Eng. Munye’s brother was a high -ranking military officer whose support to the regime was also motivated by giving assistance to his relative to occupy the vacant positions.

 

 

In relation to the undertaking, two new fishing vessels of the same sizes of the previous (330 ton each) namely M/n 21 October III and M/n 21 October IV, and a mother-ship (3500 ton) namely M/n 21 October II were added to the already existing three fishing vessels to become the number of the ships available 6 with a cost of construction around 137 million of US dollar. In addition, in 1989 was absorbed the SMP (Somali Marine Products), a fishing industry in Kisimaio in Lower Jubba region re presenting a donation from the Federal Republic of Germany for a further enlargement of the under- taking. All these, virtually, contributed to the expansion of the high seas fishing activity in Somalia in which the Shifco company became the largest fish exporting to Italy.

 

 

Nevertheless, before the tragic advent of the civil war in that country one thing has been constant throughout the period of time in which both the fleet and the SMP were in full employment: the illegal appropriation of the income of the undertaking. For example, at the end of every fishing campaign which, usually, lasts 75 days, was to be established L/C for US dollar 4 million in favour of Shifco Management concerning the export of fish of various quality.

But, unfortunately, the proceeds would not be introduced into the country except a small amount of US dollar ten thousand at maximum and a long list indicating the expenses incurred during the fishing campaign.

 

 

However, the above-mentioned list was to be prepared by n Italian company known as SEC, which apart to be the constructor of the 6 ships, had signed an agreement of co-management of the Somali fleet with Shifco company in 1987 and ending in 1989. Lately, after the abolishing of such an agree- ment with SEC, there was another Italian company called Malit in replacement of the previous one to sign similar agreement with Shifco company; but nothing has changed. From the entering in force of the new agreement until the end of 1990 the country was deprived of millions of US dollar being the earnings of the undertaking. At the outbreak of the disastrous civil war in 1991 the Somali fishing fleet was far away from the country and was save for miracle.

 

 

Subsequently, Ali Mahdi who was elected President to office after Djibouti conference for reconciliation, had formed a board of directors, so that to replace Eng. Munye, but failed to achieve the objective; for Omar Arteh who was acting then as Prime Minister behaved in a different manner. As a result, Eng. Munye succeeded in obtaining the confirmation of his position as the Manager of the fleet.

 

 

From the out break of the Somali civil war until 1992 the Somali fishing fleet which were utilizing the port of Aden under the sponsorship of Ja’far Badar a yemenita born in Somalia after the Malit company ceased to be the co-manager of the Shifco company. In May of 1993, Eng. Munye signed a new agreement with a third Italian company namely Panapesca after he had arrived in Yemen shortly af-ter the broke out of a campaign known as “clean hands†in Italy where he had been residing follow- ing his escape from his homeland. From that date, the Shifco company officially resumed its activity relating to the export of caught fish to Italy, and at the same time Eng. Munye took the necessary step to eliminate all the unfriendly somali personnel and replaced them with Italian ones, in an apparent attempt to take advantage of the revenue of the fleet. Nevertheless, it’s well known that some 12 ton thousand of fish of various quality is to be extracted from the territorial water of Somalia every year for transportation to abroad. Indeed, every three months the 5 fishing vessels are to make the trans-shipment of some 2500-3000 tons through the port of Aden. In addition, there is another quantity of fish known as “African fish†to be exported occasionally to the Golf Countries, especially Saudi Arabia not to mention a portion of this fish to be sold locally.

According to reliable source, the earnings of the Shifco Management is approximately some 5-6 mil-lion of US dollar to be gained at the end of every fishing campaign; it was calculated that at the end of every year these earnings rosedto 20-24 million(net) of US dollar excluding the rental earning of the mother-ship for which there are many charterers in Italy after the discharge of the fish at Gaeta port. This huge income which amounting hundred millions of US dollar over the past 14 years of no government authority in Somalia is being received by Eng. Munye without any revisor. Nor would it be true to say that a small portion of this income devoted to assist thousands of somali refugees who live in dire straits in neighbouring countries, especially those residing inYemen whose refugee status is so alarming that it is hard to be indifferent toward such a national tragedy.

 

 

No wonder, Eng. Munye seemed indifferent also toward the tragedy of the Somali crew on board of the fishing vessels. Indeed it can be argued that unlike the European seaman, the Somali seaman daily works 18 hours from the sunrise till twelve o’clock in the night to gain 250 US dollar monthly and nothing else. In the past, in addition to a good salary, he was eligible as the rest of the crew for insurance (in case of accident of labor), air tickets (go and back), hotel, prize, and other rights due to him at the end of his contract. It is regrettable that to many Somali widows (with many orphans) whose husbands passed away because of wounds they sustained working on board of the fishing vessels were denied the right to get the insurance premium due to them according to the ILO law. Yet, Eng. Munye did not stop treating his fellow natives of Brava in different manner.

 

 

In December of 1993 the Somali crew on board of the M/n 21 October II made up mostly of Brava natives or close relatives of Munye, taking advantage of a short anchorage of the ship in one of the ports of Ireland for discharge, raised a petition of right to a Court in that country, claiming injustice in regard of the extra hours they were required to work without any compensation. The question cost some 200 thousand of US dollar to Shifco Administration. Those seamen not only benefited of that considerable amount of money, but also seized the opportunity to get asylum in UK. Subsequently, an oppressed group of seamen hijacked a fishing vessel, so that to force Eng. Munye to pay the overdue rightful due to them. Nevertheless, the hijacking of the fishing vessels had been going on throughout 1994 and, ultimately, even armed somali factions became involved. I refer here to the three fishing vessels hijacked by a group of gunmen residing in Puntland and another one hijacked by a group of gunmen residing in Mogadishu.

 

 

As a result of that continuous hijacking of the Shifco fishing vessels, Eng Munye prevented the vessels from fishing on national territorial water and, in the meantime, signed an agreement with the Minis- try of Fishery and Marine Resources of Yemen concerning the fishing on Yemen territorial water; before signing the agreement Eng. Munye had to fulfill a requirement of the minister, which meant that the Somali fleet in exile should be represented by a board of directors. The agreement which was in force for only six months has been abolished because of incalculable reactions of the officials of the ministry against the system of fishing followed by the captains of the Shifco vessels which was in no way permissible in Yemen.

Truly, those captains usually use very large fishing-nets an often they cast into the sea a lot of undesirable fish after a long sorting operation. There were additional reasons for the abolishment of the agreement between Eng. Munye and the Ministry, which were relating to the taste of the fish and the normalized relation between Munye and the Somali faction who won control the Somali territorial water in Puntland. However, by the abolishing that agreement with Yemen, Munye regained his individual control of the fleet by sitting aside the existing board of directors, who were in charge only for a short time.

 

 

In conclusion, since ever a parliament and a government have been elected for the country after 14 years of civil war and political crises, it seems as if Eng. Munye may face a reckoning for having run the Somali fishing fleet and exploited the country huge marine resources for so long time exclusively for his own interest, although he has succeeded in wining a seat in parliament. Currently, he is troubling himself in responding to the various questions relating to his case to the media under impact of a strong criticism.

It’s well known that the entire fleet is not in good condition for depreciation and lack of adequate maintenance while the excessive exploitation of the country marine resources resulted in diminishing some kind of valuable fish in the Somali territorial water. In addition, it seemed that an important part of the of the fishery program, that implies the arrangement of training courses for Somali young people was intentionally neglected. The implementation of such a program was to provide the country with a able national crew, so that to make possible the lowering of the costs of the fishing campaigns as well as to reduce the dependence of the foreign crew in carrying on the affairs of the undertaking.

 

 

By Dr Abucar Said Abubaker- E-mail: rerhamar@hotmail.com

Source: Midnimo.com

[Haddad]

Mr. OLOL, is this Abucar Said Abubaker?

 

I have read years ago an article written by him on Yemen Times. BTW, did you translate the article from the one on SomaliaWatch.com?