SOMALIA / MOGADISHU PORT

Mogadishu international seaport is bustling with activity as Somalia emerges from decades of civil war that brought this once thriving port to its knees. AU-UN IST

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:55
• Production Date: 10 November 2012
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: AFRICAN UNION - AU
• Subject Topical: PEACE AND SECURITY; TRADE
• Geographic Subject: SOMALIA
• MAMS Id: U121110b

Description

STORY: SOMALIA / MOGADISHU PORT
TRT: 2.55
SOURCE: AU-UN IST
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 8 NOVEMBER 2012, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, seaport
2. Med shot, bag of sugar being offloaded
3. Pan right, bag of sugar on the ground
4. Wide shot, porters loading bags onto trucks
5. Med shot, porters carrying bags
6. Close up, men walking
7. Wide shot, more porters taking bags to pack trucks
8. Med shot, trucks being loaded
9. Med shot, loaders on the trucks
10. Med shot, men carrying more goods
11. SOUNDBITE (Somali), Hussein Mohamud Ga’al, Porter at the seaport:
"There is a big difference between this year and last year, all our trucks were in the garages and there were hardly any ships at sea. We used to come to the port to look for work but there was nothing. Now there are many ships here, the port is full and others have been waiting for days at sea waiting to dock.”
12. Wide shot, truck with loaded bags at the port
13. Med shot, crew of the Safina 2 ship
14. Pan left from ship to trucks being loaded
15. Med shot, truck at the port
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Arif, Safina 2 ship crew:
“We are continuous run on this ship, first from Dubai to Mogadishu and this time I am coming from Pakistan bringing sugar to Mogadishu. Before this ship was doing about in the last 14-16 months continues regular run bring different cargo here, general cargo, vehicles, everything to this port.”
17. Wide shot, ships docked at port
18. Med shot, men on boat fishing
19. Wide shot, cranes at the port
20. Med shot, Mogadishu from port
21. Pan right, ships at the port

Storyline

Mogadishu International seaport is bustling with activity as Somalia emerges from decades of civil war that brought this once thriving port to its knees. Today, business has picked up with trucks arriving to offload tons of cargo from ships that are lining its harbour.

Ships come from as far as Dubai and Pakistan with various goods to be sold in Somalia, now that there is relative peace and following the ousting of the al Shabaab militia that had control of the city until August 2011.

With the increase in traffic on the sea, work opportunities are on the rise for ordinary Somalis who work the port as casual labourers.

SOUNDBITE (Somali) Hussein Mohamud Ga’al, Porter at the seaport:
"There is a big difference between this year and last year, all our trucks were in the garages and there were hardly any ships at sea. We used to come to the port to look for work but there was nothing. Now there are many ships here, the port is full and others having been waiting for days at sea waiting to dock.”

The years of war have taken a toll on the port, facilities are inadequate and ships have to spend days offloading their cargo, while others wait out at sea for their turn. The port has seen an increase in the number of cargo ships, with numbers up to 35 per month, giving much needed revenue for the country and the newly elected government, that has the task of rebuilding the nation’s basic infrastructure.

The Safina 2 vessel has been sailing these waters for over ten months now and business is good. This recent journey back to Somalia took them ten days out at sea.

SOUNDBITE (English) Arif, Safina 2 ship crew:
“We are continuous run on this ship, first from Dubai to Mogadishu and this time I am coming from Pakistan bringing sugar to Mogadishu. Before this ship was doing about… in the last 14-16 months continues regular run bring different cargo here, general cargo, vehicles, everything to this port.”

After two decades of war, Somalia is seeing signs of hope after African Union peacekeepers, with support from the United Nations, took control of Mogadishu and other parts of the country that were strongholds of the Islamic militant group al Shabaab. Already there are thousands of Somalis retuning home and business in the city is on the rise.

The United Nations Security Council extended the mandate of the African Union Peacekeeping force in Somalia (AMISOM) this week for another four months.