Activists Sailing to Gaza Encircle MSC Containership in the Mediterranean
A group of activists, which is staging its third flotilla aiming to support Gaza and draw attention to the situation, reported that it attempted to interfere with an MSC containership sailing in the Mediterranean. According to their claims, they used approximately 20 sailboats to encircle the massive containership while it was sailing between Libya and Malta on April 20.
The group known as the Global Summud Flotilla set sail on April 15 from Barcelona. They report that 39 sailboats are participating in the first leg of the journey. They are sailing to Sicily, where they plan to meet up with more boats and organize before heading across the Mediterranean to Israel. The group is protesting the plight of the Palestinian refugees and, in the past, said it was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israel has turned back the prior flotillas and deported the participants.
According to their report, they encountered the MSC Maya, a 200,000-dwt containership registered in Panama that is sailing from Singapore bound for Ashdod, Israel. They claim the ship, which has a capacity of more than 19,000 TEU, is “transporting strategic materials” to Israeli ports.
The action started, they said, with 13 boats and grew to 20 boats from the flotilla. They began encircling the containership and continued the action for nearly three hours.
The organizers said they “managed to successfully slow them down and force them to turn slightly off course, costing them fuel and time.”
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They said the action was inspired by dockworkers who have also refused to handle ships that are carrying arms shipments to Israel. The group says it is “coordinating a disruption against the transfer of raw materials to Israel.” They called for states to halt arms transfers to Israel.
Organizers said yesterday’s action is “a model for further escalation.” They said it was just the beginning and they would continue their efforts.