Two informed sources revealed to Assahifa details about the vessel MAERSK DENVER US, operated by the Danish container shipping company Maersk Line. The ship set sail from the Port of New York in the United States, bound for the Port of Salalah in Oman, with a technical stopover made Friday night at Maersk’s cargo terminal in Tanger Med Port, northern Morocco.
According to the informed sources that spoke to Assahifa, the vessel left New York on October 31 on a scheduled route to the Port of Salalah, with a planned stop at Tanger Med for unloading and reloading operations. Maersk Line, which has shifted part of its operations from the ports of Algeciras and Barcelona, currently manages two cargo terminals at Tanger Med.
Port officials have denied claims that the Maersk Denver, which docked at Tanger Med yesterday, was carrying weapons destined for the Israeli military. They confirmed that the ship is a civilian vessel, which primarily unloaded containers of food products at the Moroccan port before continuing its journey towards Salalah, Oman, rather than Israel.
Sources speaking to Assahifa described the rumors surrounding the ship as "full of misinformation," primarily originating from Spanish media. The sources emphasized that the vessel is civilian and, under international maritime law, is prohibited from transporting arms or hazardous materials, a task reserved exclusively for military ships.
The information obtained by Assahifa indicated that the American ship did not notify Tanger Med authorities of any "hazardous materials" on board, as required by the international protocols governing commercial port operations. The sources stressed that the vessel's activity at the Moroccan port has "no connection whatsoever to the ongoing conflict between Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon."
The same sources confirmed that the ship's cargo, which is set to depart from the Tangier coastline within hours, is entirely civilian and not military in nature. "Even if some of these goods were eventually supplied to any army, it does not imply they are military equipment," one source noted.
Moreover, the sources reiterated that the vessel offloaded food supplies at Tanger Med and is now en route to the Port of Salalah in Oman, dismissing reports that it was headed to Israel's Haifa port.
In a related context, professional sources shed light on the background of the rumors circulating in recent days, pointing out that their origin lies in a report published by the Spanish newspaper El País. They attributed this to an "economic rivalry" between Maersk and the Spanish ports of Algeciras and Barcelona, as well as competition between these Spanish ports and Morocco's Tanger Med, which has become a strong rival in the Mediterranean basin.
The sources explained that Spain was never part of the ship’s route. However, the vessel belongs to the Maersk Group, which is currently downsizing its activities at the ports of Algeciras and Barcelona while expanding its operations at Tanger Med, where it currently manages two terminals and is preparing to launch a third.
According to the information obtained, this situation is mainly tied to an "economic war" led by Spain against the Moroccan port, which has become Maersk’s main platform in the Strait of Gibraltar. Tanger Med is on track to report unprecedented container handling figures by the end of 2024, positioning it among the world’s leading ports in this sector.
