Saudi Shipment Bahri Denies Allegations Of Arms Transport To Israel
After the workers in the Italian port of Genoa on Thursday blocked the passage of a Saudi vessel carrying weapons shipments on its arrival from Baltimore, the Bahri, a Saudi shipping company, denied the allegations as false and without merit.
The company issued a statement and categorically denied the claims of transferring arms to Israel.
“In response to false allegations and malicious rumours circulating in certain media outlets and on social media platforms, claiming that the company’s vessels are transporting shipments bound for Israel, Bahri categorically denies these unfounded claims. These allegations are entirely false and without merit”, Bahri said.
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Notably, Bahri Yanbu, a vessel operated by the Saudi shipping company Bahri, arrived in Genoa from Baltimore, Maryland, and was scheduled to load military hardware from Italian arms manufacturer Leonardo, including an Oto Melara cannon bound for Abu Dhabi, as well as tanks and other heavy weaponry reportedly stored in the terminal yard.
After 40 dockworkers of the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) boarded the ship for routine inspections, they discovered it was also carrying undocumented weapons and ammunition. However, USB did not make any mention of Israel, but alleged that the weapons shipment lacked necessary paperwork.
The Union is currently running a anti-arms trafficking campaign in Italian ports, to resist Italy’s role in weapon logistic chains and working on the objective of ‘We will not work for war’.
USB has been involved in coordinated action with other European uniouns to target material and weapons-grade materials destined for Israel, cargoes they believe will be used to carry out genocide in Gaza.
In collaboration with Ceing, USB has issued the manifesto “Labor Rejects War”, endorsed by dozens of associations, jurists, constitutional scholars, and peace movement leaders. The document asserts that military operations do not fall under the essential services protected by law.
“Striving for peace, for collective safety, and for the respect of constitutional principles is not only legitimate, it is a moral duty,” they said.
Their goal, they say, is to ensure that “Italian ports do not become logistical platforms for international conflicts, but return to being places that serve communities, life, and solidarity.”
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Since October 7, 2023, Israeli occupation forces have carried out an assault on the Gaza Strip, killing 61,599 people, most of them women and children, and injuring 154,088 others.
These figures are preliminary, as many victims remain trapped under the rubble or lying in the streets, beyond the reach of ambulances and rescue crews.
