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German lawyers ask court to obstruct ship supposedly carrying explosives to Israeli business

Human rights attorneys have filed a court appeal in Berlin seeking to block a 150metricton delivery of militarygrade explosives aboard German freight ship MV Kathrin which they say is to be delivered to Israel's biggest defence contractor. The European Legal Assistance Center stated on Wednesday the action was filed on behalf of 3 Palestinians from Gaza, arguing that the shipment of primarily RDX dynamites might be used in munitions for Israel's war in Gaza, possibly adding to alleged war criminal activities and criminal activities versus humanity.

Israel denies accusations that it has committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip, stating its forces follow international humanitarian law while combating Palestinian militants who operate in densely inhabited civilian locations.

German-based Lubeca Marine, which owns the MV Kathrin, said the ship was never set up to make any port calls in Israel and had actually recently discharged its cargo, originally destined for Bar, Montenegro, without revealing where the discharge took location.

The business decreased to disclose information of the cargo for contractual reasons, however said it complied fully with all worldwide and EU policies, guaranteeing essential licenses are gotten before any operations.

The ELSC said the RDX delivery was destined for Israeli Military Industries, a division of Elbit Systems, Israel's largest defence specialist. Elbit Systems declined to remark.

We never declared that the Kathrin was bound for Israel ( itself), it's the freight which is bound for Elbit Systems, ELSC lawyer Ahmed Abed told Reuters relating to the group's appeal submitted at Berlin's Administrative Court. The company neglected all the cautions.

LSEG information and vessel-tracking website Marine Traffic showed that the MV Kathrin had docked in the major Egyptian Mediterranean port of Alexandria on Monday and was last seen there.

According to the port of Alexandria's website, the ship, which it determined as German, unloaded military devices in Alexandria and was set to leave on Nov. 5.

Egypt's army denied in a statement reports of assisting Israeli military operations, stating that there isn't any kind of cooperation with Israel.

The Egyptian ministry of transport likewise said late on Thursday that the ship docked in Alexandria to discharge a delivery for Egypt's ministry of military production, adding that the ship submitted a main demand to leave to Turkey.

The MV Kathrin has been denied entry at several African and Mediterranean ports, consisting of in Angola, Slovenia, Montenegro and Malta, according to the ELSC. It stated Portuguese authorities just recently needed the ship to switch from a Portuguese flag to a. German flag before it might continue.

In August, Namibian authorities blocked the vessel, which. departed from Vietnam's port of Haiphong, from entering its main. harbour, Amnesty International has reported.

Germany's economy ministry, called in the case due to the fact that the. ship is German-owned and flagged, said it had received letters. from legal representatives on the matter but declined to discuss them.

The ministry stated the MV Kathrin shipment did not constitute. an export from Germany, as the explosives were neither filled. nor dispatched from German area. It stated there was no legal. basis for requiring an export licence under German law.

(source: Reuters)