"Bills of Ladings reveal Maersk’s cargo to Israel: Loaded with military hardware"

Since Israel’s massive attack on Gaza in October 2023, Maersk has transported thousands of tonnes of weapons parts to Israel. According to experts, it is likely that some of the cargo has ended up in the war in Gaza, where the UN considers Israel to have committed war crimes. This violates the UN’s and Maersk’s own human rights guidelines, says an expert. [...]

Danwatch has gained insight into more than 2,000 consignment notes of shipments from the US to Israel between September 2023 and September 2024, showing that at least 453 packages of Oshkosh Defense sub-components were transported to the Israeli government under the Maersk logo.

But Oshkosh vehicles are just a small part of the military hardware that Maersk has transported to Israel in the period following the brutal Hamas-led attack on Israel and Israel’s massive assault on Gaza after October 2023.

43 times, 14 different Maersk-owned container ships have transported thousands of tons of military equipment during the first year of the war. Military equipment such as sub-components for armored personnel carriers, combat vehicles, missile casings and other goods for military use. [...]

“It’s reasonable to think that some of the military hardware is being used in Gaza,” says the military analyst.

The UN has concluded that Israel has committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and violated international law. And in May 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an injunction ordering Israel to immediately cease its military offensive in Gaza in connection with a lawsuit in which South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide.

Meanwhile, Maersk continued shipping weapons parts to Israel. [...]

“Companies have a duty to respect human rights when operating outside the territory of their state,” says Zeray Yihdego, emphasizing that Maersk and the Danish state have a responsibility to ensure that there is no contribution to human rights violations.

If you read Maersk’s latest Code of Conduct from 2023, the company states that they have implemented the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

This means, among other things, that Maersk has a responsibility to avoid ‘adverse impacts’ on human rights and to address such impacts. This is stated in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

Thus, the shipping giant has a responsibility to ensure that the weapons parts are not used to violate human rights.

But how can it be ensured that Maersk lives up to its ethical obligations?

The giant is silent

According to Sune Skadegaard Thorsen, expert in responsible corporate behavior and owner of the consultancy Global CSR, it all boils down to whether Maersk has conducted a so-called human rights due diligence of the activity in question.

“This is the only way to hold Maersk accountable,” says the expert in responsible corporate behavior, who also points out that this responsibility applies to all companies.

A human rights due diligence process must document that the company regularly ‘identifies risks of adverse human rights impacts, describes what the company is doing to prevent or mitigate them, and measures the effectiveness of its efforts’. This is stated in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, to which Maersk is committed.

Maersk has been presented with the 43 shipments of military hardware and were asked if they can guarantee that the cargo will not be used to commit war crimes in Gaza.

Maersk’s press officer, Jesper Lov, has not responded to the numerous inquiries. Subsequently, Danwatch has reached out to others in the press department.

“We do not wish to comment,” says Povl Rasmussen, who is responsible for matters relating to ‘ocean business’.

Nor has Maersk prsented any due diligence report.

And that can only mean one thing, says Sune Skadegaard Thorsen.

“If Maersk cannot provide evidence that they have conducted a human rights due diligence, the company is not in compliance with the UN Guiding Principles,” says the expert in responsible corporate behaviour.

“This indicates that Maersk does not respect human rights,” he says. [...]