Oxfam joint report shows Maersk shipping weapon components to Israel despite earlier claims

A new Oxfam joint report shows that Maersk has been transporting key weapon parts to Israel since October 2023, despite claims to the contrary. 

Maersk has transported key weapon components to Israel since October 2023. Parts that have been central to weapons which Israel has used to kill tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza. This is shown in a new report jointly published by Oxfam Denmark and  the Palestinian Youth Movement. The weapon parts include components for bullets, bombs and mortars.

According to Maersk, the company has a strict policy against shipping "weapons or ammunition to active conflict zones," and since October 2023, they have "maintained a strict policy of not shipping weapons or ammunition to Israel." However, this is inconsistent with the report's findings, according to Nadya Tannous from the Palestinian Youth Movement.  

"The findings directly challenge Maersk’s public claims. Bullet cores and brass case cups, bomb bodies and mortar parts are not ordinary goods. They are components for weapons systems used in Israel’s genocide, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed. The report shows that Maersk’s shipping activities have been crucial in sustaining Israel's military capacity during a genocide.” 

Among other things, the report shows that Mærsk since October 2023 has shipped: 

• Bullet cores and brass case cups to Israel. These materials supply Israel’s production of small arms ammunition, with confirmed use by Israeli snipers and tank-mounted machine guns in Gaza.
• Bomb bodies — this includes MK-84 bodies and MPR series bodies and aluminum powder. Both MK-80 and MPR series bombs have been widely used by Israel in Gaza.
• Critical 120 mm mortar components.  

Since October 2023, more than 72,700 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, while more than 172,500 have been wounded. At the same time the destruction of civilian infrastructure has been catastrophic: 92 % of assessed commercial and industrial establishments have been destroyed or damaged, 74% of the road network has been destroyed and 90% of energy infrastructure – including the electricity distribution network and associated assets – has been destroyed. The International Court of Justice has assessed that there is a plausible risk that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, and UN experts and human rights organizations have warned that companies supplying weapons or military support to Israel may risk complicity in serious violations of human rights.  

Maersk's shipment of weapons components to Israeli weapons systems deployed in Gaza not only contradicts the company's own stated commitments, it also violates UN and OECD guidelines requiring companies to cease activities that contribute to human rights violations in conflict zones. 

"Under the UN's principles for responsible business conduct, companies are expected to carry out an enhanced risk assessment when operating in conflict areas, in order to prevent contributing to serious human rights violations. Maersk's transport of weapons components to Israel, a country accused of serious war crimes and genocide, is clearly not in line with those standards. This raises serious questions about whether the company has met its human rights due diligence obligations and whether it has done enough to avoid contributing to grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law." says Jonas Devantier, Senior Advisor, Oxfam Denmark.  

Oxfam Denmark and the Palestinian Youth Movement call on Maersk to take concrete steps to immediately cease the transfer of ammunition components and all military cargo to Israel and end any business relationships that risk contributing to or linking it to Israeli violations of Palestinian rights, including acts of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.  

In response to a request to comment, Maersk repeats that they since October 2023 have maintained a strict policy of not shipping weapons or ammunition to Israel. And that: “Maersk remains committed to following international standards for responsible business conduct and adheres to local laws and regulations. We continuously review our implementation of such standards, with a view to conducting business responsibly.”