DESERT CONTAINER CARAVANS
SOMALI PIRATES DISTURBED BY REPORTS
DUBAI - Arab Bedouins in the Arabian peninsula are reviving the historical desert caravans. Taking advantage of the high interest rates for shippers plying the waters off of the Somali coast, several Bedouin entrepreneurs have started offering container shipments by camel caravans across the desert from Dubai ports to ports in the Mediterranean.
This has somewhat disturbed Somali pirates as they feel that it is a clear violation of international shipping norms and they plan to protest the move with representatives in the next Gulf Cooperation Council meetings planned for later this year.
When asked why camel caravans and not trucks, Abdullah bin Kamal of Kamal Desert Caravan Lines stated, “Trucks need roads and the trips are much longer, drivers are expensive and diesel is not cheap, so we have a market niche.”
He also stated that unfortunately they have yet to solve problems with the camels sinking into the sand with the heavier containers and are looking into a special sand shoes, similar to snow shoes.
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