Doha – Moroccan authorities allowed the US vessel Maersk Denver to dock at Tanger Med port, after Spain had denied it entry over suspicions it was carrying weapons bound for Israel. The container ship arrived at Tanger Med 2 facilities late Friday night, closer to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta than to the Moroccan city of Tangier, according to vessel tracking data from VesselFinder.

The Maersk Denver, which departed from New York on October 31, was initially scheduled to dock at Spain’s Algeciras port. A second vessel, the Maersk Seletar, also flying the US flag and operated by the same Danish shipping company, was similarly denied entry by Spanish authorities after departing New York on November 4.

Widespread civil society condemnation

The decision by Moroccan authorities to welcome the vessel has triggered significant protests and criticism from various Moroccan civil society organizations, particularly given Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza has resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian civilian casualties.

The Moroccan Front for Palestine Support and Against Normalization strongly condemned what it termed a “shameful decision” by authorities, noting this was the second such incident following the reception of the Israeli military vessel “Komemiyut” at the same port.

In a strongly worded statement, the Front declared that “the authorities have confirmed their choice to stand with the enemy, exposing the falsehood of the official discourse that claims normalization with the occupation and apartheid entity does not contradict support for the Palestinian people.”

The Moroccan branch of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement called on port workers to refuse to handle the ship’s cargo and urged authorities to follow Spain’s example in denying entry to vessels potentially carrying military supplies to Israel during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The organization specifically called on Moroccan authorities “to fulfill their legal responsibility as one of the countries that signed a letter calling on the UN Secretary-General to take decisive steps to prevent military shipments to the occupation.”

Speaking to El Independiente, Moroccan human rights activist Sion Assidon, a Jewish founder of the local BDS branch, criticized the authorities’ position. He stated that they had “taken the opposite stance to Spain, whose government has decided to refuse ships carrying goods destined for the occupying army of Palestine, thus submitting to the decisions of the International Court of Justice and respecting the provisions of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention of Genocide.”

Morocco’s National Working Group for Palestine issued a strong condemnation, stating that the authorities’ position “goes against the will of the Moroccan people” who have historically supported the Palestinian people and their resistance. They called on Moroccan officials to “take responsibility by not allowing enemy ships to dock in the country’s ports, in line with the historical positions of the Moroccan people.”

The Moroccan Initiative for Support and Victory also denounced the decision in the strongest terms, describing it as “a betrayal and a mark of shame, especially in light of the horrific massacres being committed by the Zionist entity in Gaza and Lebanon, and its continued killing of children and women.” The group demanded authorities clarify their position on what they termed “this heinous crime” and investigate the Maersk Denver and its current cargo.

‘Oman is the final destination’

Amid growing controversy over the Maersk Denver’s docking at Tanger Med port, conflicting narratives have emerged about the vessel’s final destination and cargo. While initial reports and protests focused on potential military cargo bound for Israel, port officials and informed sources have presented a different account.

According to sources speaking to Assahifa outlet, the Maersk Denver’s ultimate destination is the Port of Salalah in Oman, not Haifa, Israel, as previously reported. Port officials have vehemently denied claims about weapons transport, stating that the vessel primarily unloaded food products during its technical stopover. They emphasized that the ship, as a civilian vessel, is prohibited under international maritime law from transporting arms or hazardous materials – a task reserved exclusively for military ships.

The vessel reportedly did not declare any “hazardous materials” to Tanger Med authorities, which would have been required by international protocols governing commercial port operations. “Even if some of these goods were eventually supplied to any army, it does not imply they are military equipment,” a source noted to Assahifa, while maintaining that the vessel’s activities at the Moroccan port have “no connection whatsoever to the ongoing conflict between Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon.”

Spanish authorities’ firm stance

The Spanish government’s rejection of both vessels marks a significant policy position regarding military shipments to Israel. A Spanish Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed to El País that neither the Maersk Denver nor the Maersk Seletar would be permitted to stop in Spain.

The decision came after Sumar deputy Enrique Santiago, who also serves as Secretary General of the Spanish Communist Party, filed a complaint with the State Attorney General’s Office warning that allowing these vessels to dock could constitute “a crime against international law under the Criminal Code.”

Santiago wrote on his social media account: “The port of Algeciras cannot be a transit zone for weapons to Israel.” Hamas later praised Spain’s decision as being “in line with Spain’s honorable position in rejecting the Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip.”

The Spanish government has effectively implemented a de facto arms embargo on Israel, demonstrating a clear stance against facilitating military shipments during the ongoing conflicts in the region.

Maersk’s response and route changes

Danish shipping company Maersk has consistently denied that the vessels are carrying weapons or military ammunition. In a statement, the company claimed that “the cargo to be transshipped through the port does not include weapons or military ammunition” and that it “fully complies with national and international laws and regulations.”

Maersk explained that the cargo is part of the “security cooperation program between the United States and Israel.” They noted that the US conducts similar security cooperation programs with international organizations and over 200 countries, including Middle Eastern nations like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Morocco’s complex position

The incident highlights again Morocco’s delicate balancing act between maintaining its diplomatic and military ties with Israel while facing domestic opposition to these relations due to Netanyahu’s genocidal campaign in Gaza. This follows Morocco’s renewal of bilateral relations with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords, facilitated by then-US President Donald Trump.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Israel was Morocco’s third-largest arms supplier between 2019 and 2023, accounting for 11% of its military imports. In July, Morocco signed a contract with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the purchase of a next-generation Ofek-13 spy satellite, valued at nearly €1 billion.

Morocco has attempted to maintain this relationship while periodically issuing statements condemning Israeli actions in Gaza and supporting UN Security Council and White House-sponsored ceasefire proposals. However, domestic opposition to these ties has grown significantly since the outbreak of the current genocide.

Previous incidents and growing tensions

This is not the first time Tanger Med port has welcomed vessels connected to Israel during the ongoing genocide.

According to a detailed report by the Israeli newspaper Globes, the Israeli naval vessel INS Komemiyut made a strategic stop at Tanger Med in June. The report revealed that “during the ship’s stop in Tangier, on the long route from Pascagoula in Mississippi to the naval base in Haifa, the crew stored fuel and food for the rest of the journey to Israel, which was completed on Sunday, June 16, 2024.”

This move sparked accusations of “participation in genocide” from the Moroccan Front for Support of Palestine and Against Normalization.

The Globes report further detailed that “supplies and equipment were transferred aboard the ship in Tangier, and at this stage of the journey, the ship turned off its location transmitter and receiver.”

The newspaper notably concluded that this was not the first time Israeli warships had stopped in Moroccan ports, pointing out that Israel’s first landing ship, the INS Nachshon, which arrived in Haifa in September 2023, had also docked in Morocco during its journey.

The ongoing situation has exposed the contradictions in Morocco’s position, as it attempts to balance its military alliance with Israel against widespread popular support for the Palestinian cause.

Public demonstrations against these maritime visits have become increasingly common, and have only garnered wider support by Moroccan citizens.

The expected arrival of the second vessel, Maersk Seletar, at Tanger Med this weekend threatens to further inflame these tensions, as civil society organizations have already announced plans for additional protests and calls for port workers to refuse handling any potential military cargo.