Maersk is still shipping weapons parts to Israel despite denial, new report says

AI Summary

Despite official denials, Danish shipping company Maersk continues to transport weapons parts to Israel, including rifle and bomb components. The report links shipments to Israel's military industry and highlights ongoing controversy over Maersk’s role amid the Gaza conflict.

Maersk is still shipping weapons parts to Israel despite denial, new report says Yasmine El-Sabawi on Fri, 06/05/2026 - 17:30 Elbit Systems has continuously received weapons components carried by the Danish shipping giant throughout Israel's assault on Gaza, findings show Banners hung by protesters in front of the headquarters of Danish shipping giant Maersk accuse the company of aiding Israel's genocide in Gaza, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 24 February 2025 (Martin Sylvest and Ritzau Scanpix/AFP) Off Danish shipping giant Maersk is still shipping smaller weapons components to Israel that include rifle and pistol parts, as well as bomb bodies, despite its assertion to the contrary last year, according to a report published on Monday by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and Oxfam Denmark.  The bullet parts Maersk has reportedly helped to deliver are the same kind that killed Hind Rajab in 2024 and also countless other children in Gaza, as shown in a New York Times essay published later that year, the authors of the report said.  The bomb bodies provide the casing for the 900-kilogram "bunker buster" MK-84 bombs that Israel has used in Gaza and Lebanon. The investigation is part of the #MaskOffMaersk campaign.  "Our question to Maersk is: What's a weapon? You don't ship weapons, so what is a weapon?" Nadya Tannous, the international coordinator for the initiative, told Middle East Eye.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "Their actual practice is to completely ignore the policies that they have on the books."  Using shipping records and bills of lading, the report's authors point to a sustained supply of the weapons components to Elbit Systems - Israel's largest weapons producer - via Maersk vessels from nine US companies, and one Indian company.  IMI Systems, formerly Israel's state-owned military producer, is also listed as a key recipient, though Elbit acquired the company in 2018.  The report identifies more than 1.42 million kilograms of bullet cores and brass case cups transported from New York's Aurubis Buffalo, Missouri's Sierra Bullets, and Michigan's Michigan Rod Products to IMI between October 2023 and July 2025. 'Their actual practice is to completely ignore the policies that they have on the books' - Nadya Tannous, #MaskOffMaersk campaign These components make up the cartridge cases for rifles, particularly the 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm.  Maersk has also transported to Israel parts from Texas' General Dynamics, which is named as the supplier of the MK-84 bomb casings, and South Carolina's Elbit Systems of America, which is named as the supplier of the MPR-series bomb - a 230-kilogram "general purpose" surface attack bomb, the report shows.  Mortar systems - one of the most commonly used weapons in warfare where projectiles are launched through an upward-facing tube on the ground - also made their way to Israel via Maersk from Texas' Trinity Forge, Pennsylvania's Ellwood National Forge, Michigan's Laser Access, and the US military manufacturer, International Parts Supply, the report said.  India's Sri Kaliswari Metal Powders is responsible for supplying aluminium powder for explosives to Israel, also via Maersk, the report added.  MEE reached out to Maersk for a response to the claims in the report, to which the company responded: "From the outset of the conflict, we have maintained a strict policy of not shipping weapons or ammunition to Israel." "As the conflict escalated, we have further enhanced our screening and acceptance procedures and implemented additional compliance measures," it added. "Our compliance processes for military-related cargo are based on EU, US, and Danish laws including the Wassenaar Arrangement, the EU's common military list and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations as well as UN resolutions." 'Complicity' Elbit Systems provides around 85 percent of Israel’s drones and land-based military equipment, and has played a major role in supplying Israel with weaponry for its genocide in Gaza, where at least 72,980 have been killed and 173,171 wounded, according to the health ministry in the enclave. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The defence firm, which has around 20,000 staff and revenues of $2bn, has been a regular target of pro-Palestinian activists in the UK over its links to Israel. Last year a report by Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for Palestine, said that “for Israeli companies such as Elbit Systems… the ongoing genocide has been a profitable venture”. Activists break into Leicester factory owned by Israeli firm Elbit Systems Read More » While the PYM-Oxfam Denmark report says it does "not call for a boycott of Israel", Tannous told MEE their campaign is calling for a boycott of Maersk. "We don't want policy statements, we want material change from the company," she said. "This campaign is part of a larger nexus of accountability for the Is