Two ships banned in Spain dock in Tangier en route to Israel

After the Spanish government refused docking access, two ships from the Maersk shipping company, en route to Israel, made a stopover in Tangier. «The two cargo ships docked at the port of Tanger-Med», stated Jamal El Asri, former national coordinator of the Moroccan Front for the Support of Palestine and Against Normalization, in a statement to Yabiladi. «But we are unsure if the ships are carrying weapons for the Zionist entity, especially after Maersk’s denial», he added.

On Saturday, Iberian media reported that Spanish authorities denied access to the two ships at the port of Algeciras due to suspicions they were carrying Israeli weapons. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the ships «will not make a stopover in Spain», though it did not provide further details, the same media sources noted.

This decision follows pressure earlier in the week from deputies of the far-left Sumar coalition, part of Pedro Sanchez’s government, who argued that transporting military equipment bound for Israel constitutes «a crime against human rights».

For the record, on May 19, Madrid prohibited the merchant ship Marianne Danica—traveling from India and carrying weapons destined for Israel—from stopping in a Spanish port. However, Moroccan authorities allowed an Israeli warship to dock in Tangier in June.