The Discovery

1. Searching beyond English-language results

Once a first-hand Wicksteed source pointed toward Kosovo, the search widened: Facebook Marketplace’s location was changed to Kosovo, and searches combined “double Pirate Ship,” “HUSS,” “Adventure,” “lunapark” and local place names. Social-media photographs, videos and amusement-park pages were all examined for visual background details.

2. A Marketplace listing, preserved

The search produced a Facebook Marketplace listing: “HUSS Double Pirate Ship – For Sale.” Because Marketplace listings can be edited or deleted, it was preserved through screenshots, the share URL, seller information and its photographs, including a CCTV-style image from the listing’s gallery.

3. Reading the listing critically

The listing named Wicksteed Park as the ride’s previous home and Kosovo as its current one, and described a modernised control system. It also reportedly gave 2017 as the ride’s final Wicksteed year; the ride’s public operation actually ended after 2016. That small error was treated as a reminder to check every seller claim rather than accept it outright.

4. Structural geometry and gondola artwork

With colour and branding subject to change, the investigation compared harder-to-alter features (twin lattice towers, bracing, platform geometry), treating the steelwork as a fingerprint. Gondola artwork, including Union Jack-style decoration, provided a second, corroborating layer.

Safety observationThis footage also appears to show riders standing in the gondola during operation, raising questions about restraint use and operating procedures. The ride’s exact configuration and the applicable local requirements have not yet been independently verified; see the Evidence Room for the full note.

5. Finding the operating location

Geographic clues in footage and listing material, combined with local-language searches, identified the ride at Lunapark Aseba, Mitrovica, Kosovo ~Supported, matched by the ride’s position relative to neighbouring attractions, buildings and paths.

6. Rejecting a false match

A newly uploaded bumper-car video initially appeared to show a Pirate Ship in the background. Closer comparison of angle, building decoration and support-structure position showed it was not Lunapark Aseba, and the initial interpretation was publicly corrected. See the Evidence Room for that rejected lead, kept on record rather than quietly dropped.

7. Operating footage and date anchors

Video showed both gondolas operating abroad by at least 25 June 2021. A later CCTV image in the sales listing displayed a timestamp of 1 September 2023, and drone or aerial footage added further date anchors into 2025–2026. Together, these dates rule out the ride having sat continuously dismantled or in storage.

8. Contacting the seller

The seller, Agron, was contacted respectfully and told the purpose was historical research rather than a purchase enquiry. He responded that he was busy but would share information when he could. A research visit to Kosovo has been seriously considered as a way to confirm current condition directly.

9. Aerial verification

Drone and satellite imagery were used to check whether the ride remained assembled over time. Even unrelated footage, like a drone video of Mitrovica’s Iber Bridge filmed for entirely different reasons, happened to capture the ride’s structure in the distance.

10. Direct contact with the operator

On 24-25 July 2026, an Instagram account presenting as Lunapark Aseba (@aseba_park) was contacted directly with a research enquiry: was the ride still there, and could someone supply a recent photo or short video showing the full installation? The account replied “Its woriking its in mitrovica city in kosovo” [sic], described the ride’s condition as good with the colour a little faded, and sent two video clips, a photo, and a link to a TikTok video. ~Supported

The conversation continued. Asked for permission to use the supplied material for archival purposes, the account replied “You can use all the pics you have,and thank you.” Asked what work had been done on the ride, it stated the inverter, motors and structure are unchanged and that only the colours and lighting have been altered, a claim that sits in tension with an earlier sales listing describing a modernised control system. The account also confirmed the ride remains listed for sale, and a possible future in-person research visit was discussed, though no date has yet been agreed.

This is treated as strong, direct confirmation that a double Pirate Ship is present and operating at that location, not as confirmation of its Wicksteed origin. The account’s identity has not been independently authenticated beyond presenting itself as the park, and the clips carry no independently verifiable recording date. See the Evidence Room for the full transcript and every item individually rated.