Namibia blocks ship because of Israeli war crimes

Namibian authorities suspect that a ship is transporting military cargo through Israel for use in the ongoing Gaza war. One ship has been denied docking in the southern African country.

Namibian Justice Minister Yvonne Dausab told state media that the ship was stopped because it had “explosive material destined for Israel” on board.

The MS Kathrin, which departed from Vietnam, had requested permission to dock in the port of Walvis Bay before sailing further north, presumably on its route across the Strait of Gibraltar towards the Mediterranean.

Human rights groups had warned that Namibia could have been involved in potential human rights violations if it had allowed the ship to dock.

The reason for docking is unknown, but ships often stop on long voyages to stock up on supplies, take a break, or unload or take on cargo.

Last December, Namibia's neighbor and ally South Africa initiated proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Israel rejects the genocide accusation as “unfounded.”

The conflict began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.

The Israeli military then launched a campaign to destroy Hamas. Since then, more than 40,430 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Walvis Bay is Namibia's largest commercial port. According to the Namibian Port Authority (Namport), almost 900 ships dock here and the port handles around eight million tonnes of cargo annually.

The MS Kathrin, which was due to dock in Walvis Bay on Monday from Vietnam, was stopped in line 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 New Era News Website.

Citing police investigations, Ms Dausab said the ship was “actually carrying explosives destined for Israel and was therefore prohibited from entering Namibian waters”.

“Namibia is committed to refraining from supporting or complicit in Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the illegal occupation of Palestine,” she said.

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

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

Namport did not respond to a BBC query about MV Kathrin. Before Ms Dausab's statement, it said it had not received any pre-approval documents for the vessel.

However, the agency promised to ensure “effective security of our territorial waters and ports.”

It also said that it supported Namibia's “view and position regarding international relations and protocols”.

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