Jakarta –
Luxury cruise ship Saddam Hussein now a special attraction for Iraq. Unfortunately, this ship was not maintained and half sunk.
Quoted from CNN, the yacht sank in a river in southern Iraq. The carcass of Saddam Hussein serves as a stark reminder of the reign that it claimed was iron-fisted and ended with the US-led invasion two decades ago.
Al-Mansur is 121 meters high, a symbol of Saddam’s wealth and power when it was built in the 1980s. Today the ship is a destination for tourists and fishermen who board the shipwreck for picnics and tea.
“When it’s in the possession of the former president, no one can get close to it,” says fisherman Hussein Sabahi, who loves to end a long day on the river with a cup of tea aboard a shipwreck.
“I can’t believe this belonged to Saddam and now I’m moving around him,” he said.
Saddam booked a yacht, which he never got on. This ship was due to leave the berth at Umm Qasr for Basra. The yacht was secured weeks after the invasion took place on March 20, 2003. US-led forces targeted it and then capsized in the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
In the chaos following Saddam’s downfall, the yacht was stripped naked and looted. Everything from the chandeliers and furniture to the metal structural parts were taken away.
One of Saddam’s three yachts, the yacht can accommodate up to 200 guests and is equipped with a helipad. US officials estimated in 2003 that Saddam and his family may have amassed up to USD 40 billion in illicit funds.
Another of his yachts has been converted into a hotel in Basra. Although some Iraqis say the wreck should be preserved, the government has not allocated funds to restore it.
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(bnl/bnl)
