Who Really Freed SIBU 1? Puntland and Iraqi Tribe Offer Rival Accounts of Tanker Rescue

Puntland Maritime Police Say Their Forces Recaptured the Hijacked Tanker After a 48-Hour Operation, while an Iraqi Tribe Claims Its Members Helped Free the Vessel

GAROWE (WDN) — A dramatic rescue of the hijacked oil tanker MT SIBU 1 off Somalia has triggered competing accounts over who actually carried out the operation, with Puntland authorities crediting their maritime forces while an Iraqi tribe says its members travelled to the region and helped retake the vessel from Somali pirates.

The dispute emerged after the Al-Shaghanba tribe of Iraq’s Basra Governorate claimed that around 40 of its members participated in an operation to recover the tanker, which it said was owned by an Iraqi businessman from the tribe.

At almost the same time, Puntland authorities announced that the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) had successfully freed SIBU 1 and its 20-member crew in a counter-piracy operation off the coast of Mudug.

Reuters independently reported Puntland’s claim, quoting Mohamed Jama, a PMPF commander, as saying that the operation had been conducted by Puntland forces over two days and that the ship had been freed. The competing accounts have turned what was initially reported as a successful anti-piracy operation into a more intriguing question: Who actually led the operation that freed the tanker?

Puntland’s Account: A Two-Day Maritime Operation

According to Puntland authorities, the tanker was recovered by the PMPF after being tracked toward the Somali coast. The vessel had been seized on August 20 by armed men while sailing in the Gulf of Aden, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). It was subsequently taken toward Somali waters.

Puntland officials said their maritime forces conducted an operation lasting approximately 48 hours off the coast of Mudug. Initial reports from Puntland said 15 suspected pirates were captured, one was killed and four were wounded, while a Puntland officer was also injured. A subsequent PMPF statement gave a higher figure, saying that 41 suspected pirates were detained, with one killed and five wounded.

Puntland also said the tanker, its cargo and all 20 crew members were safe. The crew reportedly included 16 Indians, two Syrians, one Iraqi and one Sudanese national. Reuters reported the rescue as a Puntland maritime-police operation, providing the strongest independent confirmation currently available for Puntland’s version of events.

The Iraqi Version

The Al-Shaghanba tribe has presented a different account. Sheikh Ali Al-Shaghanbi told Iraqi media that approximately 40 members of the tribe, recruited from Abu Al-Khasib district and the village of Jikour near Basra, mobilized after learning that a tanker belonging to a member of the tribe had been seized.

According to the sheikh, the group coordinated with contacts outside Iraq to locate and recover the vessel. Iraqi reports said the tribal members eventually confronted the alleged pirates and helped retake the tanker and free its crew. Al-Shaghanbi said seven alleged pirates were captured while others escaped.

Some Iraqi reports have described a firefight lasting several hours. The tribe has also claimed that its operation was conducted after communication and coordination with the Somali government. That claim, however, has not been independently established.

The Numbers Raise Questions

The competing accounts contain significant differences. The Iraqi tribal account speaks of approximately 40 tribesmen and seven captured pirates. Puntland’s later account refers to 41 suspected pirates detained, alongside one death and five wounded.

The two versions also differ over the nature and leadership of the operation. Puntland says its maritime police conducted the counter-piracy operation. The Iraqi tribe says its members travelled to the area and participated directly in recovering the vessel.

Somali maritime-security sources cited by Horseed Media have suggested that personnel working on behalf of the tanker-owning company may also have assisted Puntland forces. But available images and videos have not established who led the boarding operation or precisely how the different parties may have interacted.

What Is Established — and What Is Not

Several elements of the incident are now relatively clear. SIBU 1 was hijacked on August 20 in the Gulf of Aden and subsequently taken toward Somali waters. Puntland says its maritime forces recovered the tanker off Mudug after a two-day operation. The 20 crew members were reported safe. What remains unclear is the exact role played by the Iraqi tribal group.

The Al-Shaghanba claim has been reported by several Iraqi outlets, and videos purporting to show the confrontation have circulated online. But the precise location of the alleged tribal operation, the identity of those involved, the command structure and the relationship between the Iraqi group and Puntland forces have not been independently established.

That distinction matters. A successful maritime recovery involving a regional security force, a foreign tribal group and personnel linked to the vessel’s ownership would be highly unusual.

A Remarkable Maritime Intervention

The Iraqi account, if ultimately confirmed in full, would add an extraordinary dimension to the incident. It would mean that members of a Basra-based tribe travelled across international waters to help recover a vessel allegedly owned by one of their members after it was seized by pirates.

But the Puntland account is equally significant. The PMPF has long presented itself as one of Somalia’s principal regional forces responsible for combating piracy along Puntland’s extensive coastline. Its claim that it tracked and intercepted SIBU 1 after the vessel was brought toward Mudug places the rescue squarely within its counter-piracy operations.

The competing narratives therefore go beyond a dispute over credit. They raise questions about who exercised operational control, who authorized the intervention and how foreign nationals could participate in an armed maritime operation inside Somali waters.

The Evidence Gap

For now, the safest conclusion is that SIBU 1 was recovered and its crew freed, but the full story of how the operation was conducted remains unresolved. Puntland has provided an official account supported by statements from its maritime police and independent reporting by Reuters.

The Al-Shaghanba tribe has provided its own account, claiming direct involvement. Neither account, however, fully explains the other’s reported presence. The videos and photographs circulating online may eventually help establish what happened, but they do not by themselves determine who planned, commanded or executed the operation.

The tanker is free. The crew is safe. Suspected pirates are in custody. But the battle over who deserves credit for the rescue has only just begun. Until the competing accounts are independently reconciled, the SIBU 1 rescue remains a story with two versions — and one crucial unanswered question: Who actually took back the ship?

WardheerNews

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