A consignment sent from Northern Macedonia to the Greek port of Piraeus to be loaded onto a ship sailing for Israel was blocked by protesting port workers belonging to the ENEDEP Greek Union of Cargo Handling Workers. The port workers claimed the container carried arms bound for Israel. "Reuters" reported that the consignment comprised 21 tons of ammunition.
The cargo had been due to be loaded aboard a Marshall islands-flagged ship bound for Haifa port. A Greek Coast Guard spokesperson told the Balkan Insight (BIRN) website, "The vehicle was transferred to the Port Authority of Keratsini, which is conducting a preliminary investigation."
Piraeus Container Terminal, PCT, one of the leading container terminals in the Mediterranean, is a company founded in Greece, and is a fully controlled subsidiary of Chinese company Cosco Shipping, which "Globes" revealed in January had agreed to the Houthi demands not to visit Israeli ports.
"We do not have jurisdiction regarding cargo, but the Greek authorities and primarily the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy do. The cargo stopped at the port gates. We have a contractual obligation only to allow the cargo to be transported based on safety rules," Nina Argyropoulou, PCT’s spokeswoman, told BIRN. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs told BIRN that it cannot comments on the issue, but confirmed that the cargo is currently kept at the Port of Keratsini. "Reuters" reported that an arrest warrant had been issued against the Greek port workers leader.
In a Facebook post the Greek ports union said, "It's time to shout loudly that we won't allow Piraeus port to become a war springboard. We fight for peace and say no to Greece's participation in the war!"
According to Greek State TV channel ERT, the port workers sprayed "Murderers get out of the port," on the Israel-bound container, while chanting "Free Palestine." This is not the first such incident. In June, EDENEP prevented the MSC Altair, which among other things, was transporting military materiel to Israel, from calling into Piraeus.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 20, 2024.
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