Doha – BDS Morocco issued a press release on December 4, condemning what it describes as the continued use of Tangier Med Port for transiting military equipment destined for Israeli forces.
The organization reported that a fifth consecutive vessel carrying military supplies, the MAERSK CHICAGO, docked at the port on December 2.
According to the press release, which included the hashtags #ArmsEmbargoNow and #MaskOffMaersk, two more vessels are expected to arrive: the MAERSK KINLOSS, which departed from Newark on November 30, is scheduled to dock on December 8, and will be the sixth such vessel.
It will be followed by the NYSTED MAERSK at 10:00 a.m. the same day, reportedly carrying military vehicles, equipment, and hazardous materials.
The organization says that an investigation by the Palestinian Youth Movement, cited by Spain as grounds for banning these ships from its ports, revealed that MAERSK operates a fleet of 17 vessels on a weekly rotation.
Between September 2023 and September 2024, this fleet allegedly facilitated 2,110 shipments, totaling 23,500 tons of cargo, through a two-phase system: 12 vessels transport shipments across the Atlantic to a Mediterranean port, followed by five Mediterranean-based vessels transferring these shipments to Israeli ports in Haifa or Ashdod.
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BDS Morocco documented recent MAERSK vessel activities at Tangier Port, listing five ships that entered the port over the past month: MAERSK DENVER (November 8), MAERSK SELETAR (November 14), MAERSK HARTFORD (November 17), MAERSK PITTSBURGH (November 29), and MAERSK CHICAGO (December 2).
In their statement, BDS Morocco condemned “the ongoing facilitation of military shipments to the Israeli Occupation Forces through Moroccan ports” and demanded “that the Moroccan authorities immediately cease allowing genocide vessels to dock in our ports.”
The organization also expressed support for port workers who allegedly refused to handle the shipments and faced “abuses from MAERSK and Tangier Port management.”
Earlier, on November 8, BDS Morocco had called for a ban on the MAERSK DENVER’s docking, citing the ship’s suspected role in carrying US military supplies to Israel. This came after Spanish authorities denied the vessel entry to the port of Algeciras.
The organization noted that Morocco was among more than 50 states that had signed a letter to the UN Secretary General demanding “immediate steps to be taken to halt the provision of arms, munitions and related equipment to Israel.”
Port officials have previously contested such allegations. When the MAERSK DENVER controversy arose, they stated to Assahifa outlet that the vessel’s ultimate destination was the Port of Salalah in Oman, not Haifa, and that it primarily unloaded food products during its technical stopover.
Maersk has consistently denied carrying weapons or military ammunition, stating that its cargo “fully complies with national and international laws and regulations.”
