Activists call on Malta to de-flag vessel carrying military steel to Israel

Activists have urged authorities not to allow Malta-flagged vessels to transport military supplies, after it emerged that a container ship flying the Maltese flag is reportedly set to deliver military grade steel to Israel.

In a statement, activist group Ġustizzja għall-Palestina urged Transport Malta to “fulfill its legal obligations under international law to halt the use of Malta’s flag, territorial waters and port services for any illegal transfer of military supplies”.

Citing reporting by Irish investigative journalism outlet The Ditch, the group said the Malta-flagged container ship ZIM Luanda is scheduled to transport “40 bulks of military grade steel” from Barcelona to the Israeli port of Haifa.

The steel, sold by Basque factory Sidenor, is bound for an address registered to Israeli arms company IMI Systems Ltd, “one of the main producers of the ammunition Israel uses in its ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza", the group said.

In a report earlier this month, The Ditch said Sidenor had sent 239 tonnes of steel to IMI in August last year, 219 tonnes in March and a third shipment of 356 tonnes last month – carried by the Liberia-flagged ZIM Atlantic – with a further 393 tonnes due to arrive in Haifa following a stop at a Turkish port.

While the ZIM Luanda is not mentioned in articles published by the Irish outlet, Times of Malta has independently confirmed the details of the shipment and that the vessel is flying the Maltese flag.

The steel is scheduled to be loaded onto the ZIM Luanda on Tuesday and arrive in Israel on July 10. At the time of publication, the vessel was en route to Valencia in Spain, after leaving Kingston in Jamaica 12 days ago.

The vessel is owned by ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, a large Israeli shipping company headquartered in Haifa.

Describing the company as playing a “key role” in supplying the Israeli military, Ġustizzja għall-Palestina said “aiding” the company “risks violating the third state duties of non-assistance to Israel’s crimes”.

The steel activists say is destined for military use due to be unloaded onto a ship similar to this one. Photo: Shutterstock.

There is no EU arms embargo on Israel and European companies are free to sell military equipment, armaments and supplies to the country. 

But pressure for an EU-wide embargo has been growing over the past year and Spain, the country Sidenor is based in, is among the countries that have called for EU member states to stop selling weapons to Israel. 

Activists said that “leading legal and UN human rights experts agree” that transferring military materials to Israel – a country they said was “plausibly committing genocide” and imposing a system of apartheid – was illegal under international law.

“We therefore remind you [authorities] that Malta must seek cooperation from coastal states to prevent the ZIM Luanda from loading the illegal cargo. In case of non-compliance Malta must hold those responsible accountable and de-flag the ship,” the group said.

“We continue to call on the Malta Government to immediately adopt a policy that reaffirms that it will uphold its obligations to engage in the necessary due diligence to ensure that no military supplies... will be carried under a Maltese flag.”

The group noted that Antigua and Barbuda had “set the standard for such policy... To do nothing is to be complicit with Israel's escalating crimes against Palestinians”.

Terrorist group Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked the Gaza war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed more than 56,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.