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Marianne Danica, the unwanted boat in Spain
Spain prevents a ship carrying a cargo of arms bound for Israel from docking in its ports a few days before Madrid’s decision to set the date for the official recognition of the Palestinian state, a victim since October 7 of the worst genocide perpetrated by the Zionist occupier in 76 years.
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente said Thursday that his country has refused to allow the ship “Marianne Danica”, which is carrying a shipment of arms to Israel, to dock in the port of Cartagena, in the southeast of the country.
Puente said the vessel in question is a small, 71-metre, Danish-flagged multi-purpose cargo ship, arriving from the Indian port of Chennai with 26.8 tonnes of war materiel, including rocket engines, on board and bound for the port. from Haifa, Israel. He was refused a stopover authorization requested for May 21. Saturday May 18 in the morning, the ship’s AIS on Vessel Finder indicated a heading towards Cartagena.
The Spanish authorities informed the ship’s captain of the ban on docking in Cartagena, specifying that this measure is in accordance with the Spanish policy of banning all arms exports to Israel since the outbreak of the aggression against Gaza.
The El Pais newspaper reported that the ship was carrying around 27 tonnes of explosive materials including shells. The announcement comes amid a dispute between the ruling Socialists and their left-wing partners over allowing arms-laden ships to enter Spanish ports as Spain is at the center of a controversy over ‘a stopover from Borkum to Las Palmas then Cartagena. This other cargo ship flying the Antigua and Barbuda flag is also loaded with weapons. Nearly 35 tons of military equipment in total. However, the Spanish government specified that the Borkum left the Spanish port on May 16 towards Koper, Slovenia (arrival scheduled for May 22) and not Israel.
Several local media outlets explain that the Spanish left-wing parties Sumar and Podemos filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office on Thursday, May 16, reporting that the weapons were destined for Israel. They belong to the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems.
“This is the first time that we have done this, because it is the first time that we have detected a ship carrying a cargo of arms to Israel that wants to call at a Spanish port,” Jose said Manuel Albares, Spanish foreign minister, speaks to the press in Madrid.
These suspicions of complicity with Tel Aviv led the Spanish government to officially announce the systematic refusal of port calls for any ship transporting weapons to Israel in Spanish ports.
The Foreign Ministry clarified that these stopovers would be systematically rejected for an obvious reason: the Middle East does not need more weapons, but more peace, declared the Foreign Minister.
Spain, which has suspended its arms sales to Israel, has become one of the most critical European voices towards the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who appears as a fervent defender of Palestinian rights, announced that his country would recognize the State of Palestine next Tuesday as a means of reaching a solution ending the 76-year-old conflict. years and the Israeli aggression, the deadliest in progress in devastating Gaza which began in October 2023.
Israel has been bombing Gaza for 230 days with the declared aim of neutralizing the resistance but it has emerged that the Jewish state deliberately targets women and children to decimate the Palestinian population, according to numerous organizations including within the UN .