Namibia blocks ship over Israel war-crime concerns

Namibia’s port of Walvis Bay is an important stop on global shipping routes

Getty Images Cranes at the Port of Walvis Bay, operated by the Namibian Ports Authority, in Walvis Bay, Namibia 2 May 2024 — Namibia’s port of Walvis Bay is an important stop on global shipping routes

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 7 October, 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).

The MV Kathrin, which was set to dock at Walvis Bay on Monday from Vietnam, was stopped in accordance with Namibia’s support for the Palestinian people and the country’s call for an end to the violence in Gaza, Ms Dausab told the state-run New Era news website.

Citing a police investigation, Ms Dausab said the vessel was “indeed carrying explosive material destined for Israel, and was therefore prohibited from entering Namibian waters”.

“Namibia complies with our obligation not to support or be complicit in Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, as well as its unlawful occupation of Palestine,” she said.

Namibian human rights organisation the Economic and Social Justice Trust (ESJT) welcomed the move.

“We are pleased that our government has decided to respect international law and decided not to be complicit to genocide,” ESJT’s Herbert Jauch told the BBC.

Namport has not responded to the BBC for comment about the MV Kathrin. Before Ms Dausab’s statement it said it had not received pre-clearance documentation for the ship.

The agency however pledged to ensure “effective safety and security of our territorial waters and ports”.

It also said it supported Namibia’s “standing and position on international relations and protocols”.

Namport said it had recently allowed another vessel carrying “dangerous cargo” to pass through Namibian waters, but not to dock.