Namibia Blocks Ship from Docking Due to Explosive Cargo

The Namibian government has denied the ship MV Kathrin permission to dock at Walvis Bay Port, the nation’s largest commercial port. The vessel, which had been en route from Haiphong, Vietnam, with a stopover in Singapore, was scheduled to arrive in Namibia but was ultimately turned away.

The MV Kathrin is an 8000 DWT vessel owned by a German company. According to officials from the Namibian Port Authority, ships are required to declare any hazardous cargo they are carrying. After reviewing the documents submitted on August 24, the authorities quickly moved to block the ship’s planned docking on August 25.

Namibian Justice Minister Yvonne Dausab explained that the ship was transporting explosive materials intended for Israel. The minister emphasized that Namibia refuses to be complicit in activities it considers to be war crimes, which led to the decision to deny docking rights.

The Namibian Police Force confirmed that an earlier authorization allowing the vessel to dock had been rescinded. They reported that the ship was carrying 60 containers of TNT and six containers of hexogen explosives.

A local human rights organization, the Economic and Social Justice Trust, praised the government's actions, expressing satisfaction that Namibia chose to uphold international law and avoid involvement in what they described as acts of genocide.