Namibia blocks ship over Israel war-crime concerns
A vessel suspected by the Namibian authorities to be carrying military cargo intended for Israeli use in the ongoing war in Gaza has been blocked from docking in the southern African country.
Namibian Justice Minister Yvonne Dausab told state media the ship was stopped because it had “explosive material destined for Israel”.
The MV Kathrin, which set off from Vietnam, had requested permission to dock in the port of Walvis Bay – before sailing north, on a suspected route towards the Mediterranean via the Strait of Gibraltar.
Rights groups had warned that Namibia could have been implicated in potential human rights violations had it allowed the vessel to dock.
It is not known why the ship wanted to dock, but vessels on long journeys tend to stop for supplies, respite or to offload or take on cargo.
Last December, Namibia’s neighbour and ally South Africa launched an ongoing case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel rejects the allegation of genocide as “baseless”.
The conflict began after Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel on October 7, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
The Israeli military then launched a campaign to destroy Hamas and more than 40,430 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Walvis Bay is Namibia’s largest commercial port, receiving nearly 900 vessels and handling about eight million tonnes of cargo per year, according to the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport).
—BBC
