A Maersk container ship has been barred from entering the Spanish port of Algeciras, a Danish shipping company said on Saturday, denying that the ship was transporting weapons to Israel. “The cargo to be transported from the port does not contain any military weapons or ammunition,” Maersk said in a statement.
Spanish daily El Pais quoted Spanish government officials earlier this week as saying that the ship, as well as another one belonging to Maersk and due to dock at the end of this month, “will not stop in Spain”, according to the press, because of the cargo it contains. Weapons are being shipped to Israel.
Spain, which is trying to persuade other European countries to recognize a Palestinian state, has refused to dock with stores that ship weapons to Israel.
“To gain clarity for future actions, we have consulted with the Spanish authorities to understand why entry was denied for a cargo different from previous shipments that were routinely transshipped from this port without incident,” the Danish firm said.
“It is our understanding that Spain has, at its discretion, changed its standards and is now rejecting ships carrying anything military-related to or from Israel, even if such cargo is legal.”
Spain, which has blocked arms exports to Israel, is one of the European countries most critical of Israel’s attack on Gaza. afp