The Namibian government did not allow the ship “MV KATHRIN” to dock at WALVIS BAY Port, the country’s largest commercial port. The vessel was traveling from HAIPHONG in Vietnam, made a transit stop in Singapore and stopped in Namibia.
The MV KATHRIN is an 8000 DWT vessel that has a German owner. Officials from the Namibian Port Authority stated that a vessel is mandated to declare its contents if it is loaded with dangerous cargo. Upon receiving the documents submitted on August 24, authorities acted with haste to prevent the ship’s scheduled docking the next day on August 25.
The Namibian Justice Minister, Yvonne Dausab, stated that the ship was carrying explosive material destined for Israel and hence was not allowed to dock, as the minister claims that the country will not be complicit in what they deem as war crimes.
The Namibian Police Force reported that an earlier order granting permission to the vessel to dock at the port was revoked. The police also made reports that the vessel was carrying 60 containers of TNT and six containers of hexogen explosives.
