Egypt: German ship carrying explosives to Israel docks in Alexandria

A German-flagged ship carrying explosive materials intended for the Israeli army docked in Egypt’s Alexandria this week after being rejected by several countries, according to open source maritime data and rights groups.

German human rights lawyers on Tuesday said that the MV Kathrin is carrying eight shipping containers holding 150,000 kg of RDX explosives for Israeli Military Industries, the munitions production arm of Israel’s largest military company Elbit Systems. 

According to ship-tracking website Marine Traffic and financial data firm LSEG Data & Analytics, the MV Kathrin docked in Alexandria port on Monday and was last seen there three days ago. It is set to depart on 5 November. 

Middle East Eye has contacted the Egyptian government for comment.

Amnesty International called for the vessel’s cargo to be blocked from reaching Israel.

“The deadly cargo believed to be on board the MV Kathrin must not reach Israel as there is a clear risk that such cargo would contribute to the commission of war crimes against Palestinian civilians,” Amnesty International’s Hussein Baoumi told MEE.

“By knowingly transferring arms to Israel including via transit of ships carrying arms and explosives, Egypt risks breaching their obligation not to encourage, aid or assist in violation of the Geneva Conventions.”

Egypt’s role questioned 

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) anti-Israeli occupation movement on Wednesday said several countries, including Malta, have refused to allow the ship to dock in their harbours after pressure.

It added that its advocacy has also led the Portuguese government to open an investigation into the ship and eventually demand the removal of its flag, which the vessel was previously flying under.

According to the website of Alexandria port, which monitors ship movements and maritime navigation, the Egyptian Marine Consultancy Office (EMCO) was responsible for receiving the ship and “unloading” its “military” cargo. 

According to BDS, EMCO was also observed overseeing the departure of another ship on the same day headed for the port of Ashdod, raising questions about the relationship between this Egyptian company and the operators of the ship carrying explosives.

“The docking of MV Kathrin at the port of Alexandria raises questions about why Egypt allowed the ship, carrying cargo used in Israeli military manufacturing, to enter its ports,” BDS said.

“This comes at a time when international pressure is mounting to prevent the flow of arms that contribute to the genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.”

Egyptian human rights lawyer Ahmed Aboulela Mady said lawyers on Thursday filed a complaint with the public prosecutor against the prime minister, the head of Alexandria Port Authority, and the executive director of EMCO regarding the reports that Kathrin has docked and unloaded in the city.

“These explosive materials are used by the Israeli occupation forces to kill civilians in Gaza and, currently, in Lebanon for over a year,” the lawyers said in their complaint. 

“The entry of these explosive shipments into Egypt poses not only a threat to Egyptian and Arab national security but also portrays Egypt as a country violating international resolutions and supporting the genocide against our Palestinian brothers and aggression against our sisters in Lebanon.”

German court petition 

The European Legal Support Center (ELSC), a German rights group, said RDX explosives are used by Elbit Systems to manufacture weapons such as aerial bombs, mortars and rockets. 

The group said the weapons are used to commit international crimes in the Gaza Strip, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

It added that it has filed an emergency motion with the Berlin Administrative Court requesting that the court mandate the German government to stop the explosives delivery to Israel.

Berlin-based lawyer Ahmed Abed filed the urgent appeal on behalf of three Palestinians in Gaza, asking the German government to protect their right to life by halting the delivery and taking action against the owner and manager of the ship.

The ship’s owner Lubeca Marine said MV Kathrin “was never scheduled to make any port calls in Israel”. It said it was originally destined for Bar, Montenegro, but that it had recently unloaded its cargo at an undisclosed location, Reuters reported. It added that the company complied with international and EU laws.

Middle East Eye has contacted Lubeca Marine for comment.

Shipping data has revealed that Portuguese-flagged vessel set off from Hai Phong port in Vietnam on 21 July. 

On 24 August, Namibia blocked the ship from entering its main harbour after receiving information that it carried RDX explosives bound for Israel.

According to ELSC, the ship has been denied entry at ports in several countries including Angola, Slovenia, Montenegro and Malta. 

The Portuguese government in mid-October demanded the removal of the Portuguese flag from the ship, and since then it has been sailing under the German flag, ELSC said. 

The group said that the MV Kathrin has been operating in stealth mode, with all GPS satellite signals deactivated, since 24 October after departing from Malta’s territorial waters. 

It was sighted in the Albanian port of Porto Romano on Thursday evening, the group said. It added that the ship was “unloaded with the exception of ten containers, possibly including the eight containers of RDX intended for the Israeli genocide”. The ship then left the port.

Saheeh Masr, an Egyptian fact-checking platform, cited a source from Alexandria port as saying that the ship arrived in the early morning of 28 October, entered the military pier on 29 October, and docked at pier 22, managed by the Egyptian navy.

“Since the night of 29 October, heavy equipment has been used to unload the cargo,” it reported. 

It quoted a source and an eyewitness as saying: “Military pier operations have deployed military sweepers to unload the ship’s cargo since the evening of 29 October.”