Protests in Morocco as ship suspected of carrying arms to Israel docks

“Whoever welcomes Israel’s ships is not one of us,” protesters in Morocco chanted during protests held in Tangier to condemn the docking of the American flagged Maersk Denver late on Saturday night at the port city. The vessel is suspected of carrying arms destined for Israel.

Spain had refused to allow the ship to dock in any of its ports, forcing it to search for a different port. The MarineTraffic website, which tracks ship movements, showed that the ship had arrived at the port of Tangier. The VesselFinder website, which also specialises in tracking ship movements, said that it was on its way to the Sultanate of Oman.

After the Maersk Denver was allowed to dock in the Port of Tangier, Morocco, on November 8, Moroccans gathered today, November 10, at 12 PM in front of the port to protest its presence, condemning the ship’s delivery of weapons intended to kill their brothers and sisters in Gaza… pic.twitter.com/YhhSNz7sxc

— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) November 10, 2024

Spanish newspaper El Pais quoted a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying that the Madrid government has not and will not grant docking permits to the ship.

The Danish company Maersk announced on Saturday that “one of its container ships was prevented from entering the Spanish port of Algeciras” and denied that it was carrying weapons for Israel.

Maersk said in a statement: “The cargo to be transhipped through the port does not include any military weapons or ammunition.”

The National Secretariat of Moroccan Front in Support of Palestine said that “the Moroccan authorities ignored all calls from various parties and our Moroccan Front’s strong warning not to accept the ship – Maersk Denver – and not to allow it to dock in the port of Tangier, which it arrived at midnight on November 9, 2024.”

“This ship, loaded with weapons shipments, will unload its cargo onto another ship, which will then continue its journey towards the port of the occupied city of Haifa,” added the secretariat.

The same organisation condemned, “in the strongest terms this shameful decision by the Moroccan authorities, which is the second of its kind after receiving the military ship INS Komemiyut belonging to the occupation army in the same port.”

It added that in making this decision, “the Moroccan authorities have colluded with the US, which is the source of these weapons, and with the Zionist enemy army, who is committing the genocide against the Palestinian people and the brutal aggression against Lebanon.”

It noted that such actions “encourage the occupation entity to commit its genocide and aggression, disregard the position of the Moroccan people, and is a flagrant violation of the relevant UN resolutions, as well as being considered participation in the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people.”

It called on workers and employees at the port to refuse to unload and load the shipment, urging them to protest against what it described as the “heinous crime” that contributes to the genocide committed against the Palestinian people.

Read: Israel warship travels through Egypt’s Suez Canal