>>2553594>Runways and rocksWhile work was being carried out on Abd al-Kuri, it was also proceeding apace at Samhah, the smallest of Socotra’s three inhabited islands, located deep in the Arabian Sea.
Satellite imagery shows that the UAE began constructing an airstrip on the island in 2024, with the runway completed in April 2025, alongside the paving of roads and establishment of essential support facilities.
Samhah’s rocky, mountainous terrain does not allow for the easy construction of longer runways, so it is most likely used for rapid, periodic surveillance operations rather than heavy transport. It can receive and operate the Hermes 900 and is able to support electronic reconnaissance and maritime surveillance operations.
The island’s location is ideal for monitoring the maritime passage between the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, through which about 12 percent of worldwide trade passes.
Between 25 March and 4 April 2025, satellite imagery revealed the appearance of a temporary sandbar on the western side of Samhah, which was not visible in previous images seen by MEE. This small sandbar appears to have been formed for temporary marine drainage, a common pattern in isolated military construction projects.
While this was taking place, the Young Star, a Comoros-flagged landing craft with IMO number 1095973, which was most likely being used to unload equipment used to prepare the runway, could be seen anchored off the island’s west coast.
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