But would-be applicants for the position of pirate (Eyl division) had to come to him, he claimed.

FORBES: Business Secrets of the Somali Pirates

Lastly, the pirates control a coastal strip that extends from Eyl in the north to Haradheere in the centre.

ECONOMIST: Somalia��s future

These days, there is no question of a bombardment of the port of Eyl, the main pirate base on the Somali coast.

BBC: Rules frustrate anti-piracy efforts

Authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland say they are powerless to confront the pirates, who regularly hold ships for ransom at the port of Eyl.

BBC: Warships surround Somali pirates

The Sirius Star is believed now to be anchored somewhere off the coast of Somalia, near the pirate port of Eyl in the northern Puntland region of the country.

ECONOMIST: The significance of the latest attacks by Somali pirates