Saudi ship faces growing opposition in European ports

Amnesty International says lawsuits and protests are planned in several European countries to oppose the voyage of a Saudi Arabian ship believed to be carrying a consignment of arms destined to be used in Saudi-led war against Yemen.

The Saudi owned cargo ship Bahri Yanbu, which is due to visit five European ports beginning on 2 February before continuing its onward voyage to Saudi Arabia, has previously ferried tens of millions of pounds’ worth of arms to fuel the Yemen war.

Having already traveled across the Atlantic -- with earlier stops in the United States and Canada last month— Bahri Yanbu is due to dock in the ports of Bremerhaven in Germany, Antwerp in Belgium, Tilbury Docks in the UK, Cherbourg in France, and Genoa in Italy.

“On a similar voyage in May 2019, protests and lawsuits blocked some of the arms destined for Yemen from being loaded on the Bahri Yanbu,” Amnesty's Researcher on Arms Control, Security Trade, and Human Rights Patrick Wilcken said on Saturday.

“Even so, tens of millions of dollars’ worth of military aircraft parts and other arms slipped through. Multiple states failed miserably to live up to their international obligations to halt arms transfers for use in war crimes and serious human rights violations.”

“Now, the political will of governments to respect their legal obligations is again being put to the test. Activists and port workers are on high alert as the Bahri Yanbu threatens to flout international law yet again in the name of lucrative arms deals that have been fueling unlawful killing of civilians and a dire humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen,” he added.

Back on May 20, Italian unions refused to load electricity generators onto the Bahri Yanbu vessel, saying the weapons on the Saudi ship contravened a United Nations treaty and might be used against civilians in Yemen.

Earlier that same month, the Bahri Yanbu vessel loaded arms in the Belgian city of Antwerp but was prevented from picking up another consignment of weapons in the French port of Le Havre following protests by humanitarian groups.

The move was prompted after the investigative website Disclose published leaked documents that showed Saudi Arabia was using French weapons including tanks and laser-guided missile systems, against civilians in Yemen.

MG