A coalition of activist groups has disclosed a list of 36 ships that have persistently provided weapons and fuel to Israel amid its war on Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed.
The blocklist, which was announced by the No Harbor for Genocide campaign, aims to promote a “people’s embargo” against vessels and businesses that are enabling the genocide.
The blocklist comprises Maersk container vessels that have been engaged in the transportation of military supplies and exports for illegal Israeli settlements across the Atlantic as part of a US maritime initiative.
A group of ships managed by the Danish shipping company has been navigating under the flags of the US and Hong Kong, as part of the program established by the United States Maritime Administration (Marad).
The mission of Marad, as outlined by the US Department of Transportation, is to “foster, promote, and develop the maritime industry of the United States in order to fulfill the economic and security needs of the nation.”
In June, Maersk announced its decision to divest from companies associated with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
No Harbor for Genocide, which is overseen by Global Energy Embargo for Palestine, Progressive International, and the BDS National Committee, aspires for the blocklist to function as a public, evidence-based database.
The blocklist enumerates vessels, provides identification numbers (IMO), details the companies that operate the ships, and specifies the flags under which they operate. Additionally, it connects to real-time tracking platforms that display the current locations of the “genocide carriers.”
“There is a supply chain to genocide, to apartheid, to illegal occupation,” a spokesperson for Global Energy Embargo for Palestine said.
“Whether it is energy, military equipment or dual-use items – these materials are exported and imported via maritime trade routes on vessels that are complicit in Israel’s genocide on Gaza and illegal occupation of Palestine.”
No Harbour for Genocide said the blocklist, which can be downloaded from its website, was the “result of months of in-depth research and monitoring of vessels that exhibit a consistent pattern of involvement in supplying Israel’s genocide, apartheid, and illegal occupation of Palestine”.
Apart from the Maersk vessels participating in the Marad program, No Harbor for Genocide has recognized additional container ships operated by the Danish conglomerate that service Mediterranean supply routes, such as the Maersk Norfolk and the Nexoe Maersk.
The Overseas Santorini and Overseas Sun Coast, both US-flagged oil tankers recognized for providing jet fuel and petrochemicals essential to Israeli military offensives, are included on the list.
The tankers are managed by the Overseas Shipholding Group, which is based in the United States.
During a single voyage, the Overseas Santorini transports approximately 300,000 barrels of military fuel, which is loaded at the Bill Greehey oil refinery located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and delivered to the port of Ashkelon in the Israeli-occupied territories.
The Israeli military employs jet fuel for its F-16 and F-35 warplanes, which have been conducting strikes across Gaza.
Since 2014, the Overseas Santorini and the Overseas Sun Coast have consistently traveled to the occupied lands, providing the occupying regime’s military with jet fuel sourced from Valero Energy, in accordance with a US government contract with Israel.
The JP-8 fuel is typically transported via a maritime route that includes stops in the Bahamas, Algeciras, located in southern Spain, and Limassol in Cyprus.
No Harbor for Genocide initiated a campaign to block the Overseas Santorini last year.
General cargo vessels transporting military supplies under the Marad program consist of the US-flagged freighters Sagamore, Ocean Freedom, Ocean Giant, and Ocean Grand, which are functioning along routes associated with the US and NATO.
Vessels managed by smaller European entities, including Danica Violet, Danica Sunrise (Denmark), and HC Opal/BHG Fortune (Liberia), are transporting military equipment to Israel; however, they are not included in the Marad program.
Ships operating from Greece and the United Kingdom have additionally been transporting coal shipments to the Israeli-occupied territories, whereas oil tankers – predominantly operated by Greek companies – have been supplying crude oil.
In July, Greek dock workers at the port of Piraeus announced their intention to decline unloading the Ever Golden, a container vessel transporting military-grade steel to Israel, upon its arrival in Greece.
“We will not unload a single inch of this murderous cargo,” Enedep, the union of dock workers at Athens’ port city, said at the time.
At least 64,231 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and another 161,583 individuals have been injured in the brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the health ministry of Gaza.
[ SOURCE: AP and REUTERS ]
