Many countries rejected it, but Egypt welcomed it.. A ship loaded with an Israeli explosives shipment docks in the port of Alexandria

The Egyptian government allowed the German-flagged ship MV Catherine, believed to be carrying explosives bound for Israel, to dock and unload at the port of Alexandria on Monday, despite the risk that the cargo could contribute to war crimes in Gaza, Amnesty International said on Thursday.

The organization indicated, via the "X" platform, that international humanitarian law prohibits states from transferring weapons to a party to an armed conflict where there is a risk that it may contribute to the commission of war crimes/violations of international humanitarian law, stressing that "Egypt must not assist or facilitate this illegal transfer."

In turn, the "ICAD" platform, a media platform for verifying news and information that was established in 2020, reported that the ship "Catherine" changed its flag from Portuguese to German before arriving at the port of Alexandria, after the ports of Malta and Namibia refused to receive it.

According to data from the Alexandria port, the ship entered under the authority of the Egyptian Maritime Consulting Office (EMCO), and was loaded with a cargo described as “military.” The platform reported that the ship docked at the Egyptian port at around 6 a.m. on Monday, October 28, coming from the Albanian port of Durres, its last known stop.

#GeoPost | A ship loaded with explosives heading to Israel, everyone refused to receive it, and Alexandria finally received it.

✔️ICAD follows the ship "Catherine" and reveals its path and the stations it went through amidst the global anger that accompanied it throughout its journey and prompted several countries to refuse to let it dock in their ports.

✔️What's the story of this... pic.twitter.com/6JTarMUJdV

— EekadFacts | Eekad (@EekadFacts) October 30, 2024

For its part, the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement expressed its concern, asking how a ship loaded with military materials was allowed to enter an Egyptian port, despite increasing international pressure to prevent the flow of weapons that could be used in humanitarian conflicts?

The movement said in its statement that the aforementioned ship unloaded its cargo at the port of Alexandria, considering this "a dangerous and unexpected turn in the ship's path, given the refusal of several countries to receive it, including Malta, Namibia and Angola."

She pointed out that the ship "carries a military shipment on its way to feed the Israeli war machine in its war of extermination in Gaza and its military aggression against the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples," stressing that unloading the internationally banned shipment in Egypt contradicts international resolutions and conventions that call on all countries to refrain from providing any kind of support for crimes against humanity and genocide.

The statement added that the docking of the ship "Catherine" in the port of Alexandria "raises questions about the reasons for allowing this ship, which is transporting a shipment used in Israeli military manufacturing, to enter Egyptian ports, at a time when international pressure is increasing to prevent the flow of weapons that contribute to the genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip."

The movement wondered, "Why is a ship loaded with military materials to support the occupying state allowed to use Egyptian waters and ports?" in a move that could place the Egyptian authorities under direct legal responsibility according to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

She pointed out that the Egyptian Marine Consulting Office ( EMCO)) was responsible for receiving the “Catherine” ship and unloading its war cargo, explaining that the same company supervised the departure of another ship on the same day heading to the port of Ashdod, which raises questions about the relationship between this Egyptian company and the operators of the ship loaded with explosives, according to the same statement.

After many countries refused to receive it, the ship "Catherine" appeared in the port of Alexandria in Egypt. It is the same ship that several countries, including Malta, Namibia and Angola, refused to receive because it was carrying a military shipment on its way to feed the Israeli war machine.

To read the full National Committee statement: https://t.co/sGyeWzPCHK pic.twitter.com/4np8MBQ1cB

— Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement (@BDS_Arabic) October 30, 2024

This comes as human rights lawyers have petitioned the Berlin court to block a 150-ton shipment of military explosives carried by the German cargo ship MV Kathrine, which they say is destined for Israel's largest defence supplier.

The European Legal Aid Centre said on Wednesday that the lawsuit was filed on behalf of three Palestinians from Gaza on the basis that the RDX explosive shipment could be inserted into munitions used in Israel's war on Gaza, which could contribute to the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Israel denies allegations of war crimes in the Gaza Strip, saying its forces abide by international humanitarian law in their fight against Palestinian militants operating in densely populated civilian areas.

The German company Lubica Marine, which owns the MV Catherine, said the ship “was never scheduled to call at any of Israel’s ports” and that it had recently unloaded its cargo and was originally bound for Bar, Montenegro, without disclosing where it was unloaded.

The company declined to provide details of the shipment for contractual reasons, but said it had fully complied with all international and EU regulations and ensured that the necessary permits were obtained prior to any operations.

The European Legal Support Center said the shipment was destined for Israel Military Industries, a unit of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest supplier of defense materials. Elbit Systems declined to comment.

“We never claimed that the Katharina was heading to Israel (itself), but rather the cargo was heading to Elbit Systems,” Ahmed Abed, a lawyer for the European Legal Aid Centre, told Reuters, commenting on the centre’s appeal to the administrative court in Berlin. “The company ignored all warnings,” he added.

The MV Catherine docked at the Egyptian port of Alexandria on the Mediterranean on Monday and was last seen there, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group and ship-tracking website Marine Traffic.

The Alexandria port website said the ship, identified as German, had unloaded military equipment in Alexandria and was due to leave on Nov. 5. Egypt's foreign ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The authorities are partners in the genocide, not just complicit or traitorous. After the siege, silencing, and surrender to mediation, they are now direct partners. The military cargo ship "MV Catherine" has been in the port of Alexandria for two days to unload its cargo of missile and bomb manufacturing materials for a Zionist and malicious company, after Namibia refused... pic.twitter.com/JaJVybzomi

— Ahmed Douma (@ahmeddouma) October 30, 2024

The Legal Support Centre said the MV Catherine had been denied entry to several African and Mediterranean ports, including Angola, Slovenia, Montenegro and Malta. It added that Portuguese authorities had recently asked the ship to fly the German flag instead of the Portuguese one before it could continue its journey.

In August, Amnesty International reported that Namibian authorities had prevented the ship, which had left the port of Haiphong in Vietnam, from entering its main port.

The German Economy Ministry, which is named in the case because the ship is German-owned and German-flagged, said it had received letters from lawyers about the matter but declined to comment.

The ministry said the MV Kathrein’s cargo did not constitute an export from Germany, as the explosives were not loaded or shipped from German territory. It added that there was no legal basis for requiring an export license under German law.

Source: Yemen Youth Net + Reuters