The Israeli Navy's new landing ship, INS Komemiyut, which arrived in Israel this week from the United States, did so after contacting Morocco to receive supplies, according to information received by Globes from sources familiar with the matter, and supported by ship logs on the Vessel website. Finder.
As part of the ship's stop on the long route from Pascagoula, Mississippi, to the naval base in Haifa, the crew stocked up on fuel and food for the remainder of the voyage to Israel, which was completed on Sunday.
The supplies and equipment were transferred on board the ship in Tangier, the busiest port in Africa, which is located south of the Strait of Gibraltar. At this point in the voyage, the ship turned off its position transponder.
Globes learned that the first two ships purchased by Israel, which arrived in Haifa last September, the INS Nahshon, also docked on their way to Morocco.
Landing boats are a new, old-fashioned vehicle being equipped by the Israeli army, designed to quickly unload troops onto the beach. The new amphibious vehicles are approximately 95 meters long, 20 meters wide, and weigh more than 2,500 tons. The landing ship team consists of dozens of marine combat soldiers, a quarter of whom are female. The ship's captain is a first lieutenant
The landing boats are part of the Navy's adaptation to multi-theater warfare that could be more dangerous than the current war in Gaza, requiring the logistical transport of equipment and transporting combat soldiers to destinations such as Lebanon or other countries.
The construction of landing ships began about five years ago, after the Ministry of Defense purchasing delegation purchased them from an American shipyard using American aid funds, which amount to $3.3 billion annually.
Spain refused
About a month ago, Spanish Minister of Transport Oscar Fuente announced that the Danish-flagged cargo ship Marian Danica, which had requested to dock in Cartagena, had been rejected because, according to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, it was carrying 27 tons of explosives and was heading to the Mediterranean Sea. Israel.
Had it not been for the Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea, the ship would not have passed through the economic waters of Spain, but would have been diverted via the Cape of Good Hope, and from there to Gibraltar. The lengthening of the road meant that supplies had to be stopped, but the authorities in Madrid did not agree.
Last weekend, 116 marches took place in 48 cities across Morocco, as part of a widespread anti-Israel protest. Behind the pro-Palestinian demonstrations is a body called the Moroccan Organization for the Defense of the Nation's Issues, a name with comprehensive Islamic connotations. The organization itself said that it organized the protest “in order to express the solidarity of the Moroccan people with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause.”
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Published by Globes, Israel Business News – en.globes.co.il – on June 19, 2024.
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