Spain Turns Away Ship Carrying Explosives From Chennai To Israel From Docking

A ship carrying explosives from Chennai, India to Israel was refused to dock at a Spanish port, this was the first time the country refused entry.

Spain has now announced that any ship carrying arms to Israel will be denied permission to dock in the country.

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A ship carrying 27 tonnes of explosive material from Chennai, India to the port of Haifa, Israel, attempted to dock at a Spanish port but was refused entry. Spain has now announced that any ship carrying arms to Israel will be denied permission to dock in the country. According to AFP, while Albares did not provide details on the ship, the transport minister Oscar Puente said that it was Marianne Danica that had requested permission to call at the south-eastern port of Cartagena on May 21, which was the Danish-flagged ship full of explosives. 

Foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares told reporters in Brussels as per AFP, that it was the first time they did this as it was the first time they detected a ship carrying a shipment of arms to Israel and wanted to call a Spanish port.

“This will be a consistent policy with any ship carrying arms to Israel that wants to call at Spanish ports. The foreign ministry will systematically reject such stopovers for one obvious reason: the Middle East does not need more weapons, it needs more peace”, he was quoted by the news agency. 

As per The Guardian,  Spain’s announcement comes amidst a dispute between Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialists and his coalition partners, the leftwing Sumar alliance, over another ship, the Borkum, which is scheduled to dock in Cartagena on Friday. The Borkum is also carrying arms to Israel, according to Pro-Palestinian groups. This prompted Sumar to demand that it be turned away. However, the transport minister said that the ship was transporting military material to the Czech Republic and not Israel.

Spain has been the most vocal critic of Israel's offensive towards Gaza and is actively working to rally other European countries behind the idea of recognising a Palestinian state, reported The Guardian. Spain has also stopped arms sales to Israel which launched a military onslaught against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.