Written by 
Maersk said in a communique that the cargo to be shipped through the port “does not include any military weapons or ammunition”.
Spanish daily El Pais earlier this week had cited Spanish government officials saying that the ship, as well as another also belonging to Maersk and due to dock later this month, “will not stop in Spain”, according to the press, because its cargo includes weapons being delivered to Israel.
Spain, which is seeking to convince other European countries to recognise a Palestinian state, has refused docking to ships transporting arms to Israel.
“To gain clarity for future operations, we have consulted the Spanish authorities to understand why entry was denied for cargo no different than previous shipments that have routinely been transshipped through this port without incident,” the Danish company said.
“It is our understanding that Spain has in its discretion changed its criteria and is now rejecting vessels that carry anything military related going to, or from, Israel, notwithstanding such cargo being legal.”
Spain, which has stopped the export of arms to Israel, is one of the European countries most critical of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
Advertisement
The Maersk Denver diverted first to Tangier and, according to the specialised VesselFinder site, is now en route to Oman.