Divers Marine starts construction of UAE’s naval base in Berbera

The UAE based Divers Marine Consulting has started the construction of the controversial UAE naval base in Berbera, Somaliland and is expected to complete in June next year.

The Group’s managing director Abdulla Darwish quoted by Arabian Business said the Sharjah based company has begun construction after being awarded the $90 million contract in April.

The base which was approved by Somaliland parliament February this year is based on a 30 year concession for the UAE navy to run the military base in Berbera port.  UAE’s DP World was also granted a similar concession by Somaliland August 2016.

The naval base will include a 300-metre L-shaped inland berthing port with a depth of 7 metres “to support the military airport,” accommodating naval vessels to patrol the Gulf of Aden, according to Darwish.

“It’s not a commercial port,” he said. “It’s only for naval vessels.”

Somaliland has dismissed claims the base could exacerbate conflict in the Horn of Africa especially with UAE’s war in Yemen alongside Saudi Arabia against the Houthi rebels.

“We don’t believe the use of the facility will add to the uncertainty and the conflict in the region,” Foreign Minister Saad Ali Shire said in May. “UAE has already a base in Assab, Eritrea, which is operational, and the use of the base in Berbera is not going to add anything new to the conflict.”

Somaliland elected a new president last week but from the ruling party which oversaw the signing of the two UAE concessions.

Divers Group describes itself as the oldest marine civil engineering and marine services companies formed in 1988.