Bulker Loaded with Coal for Israel Becomes Center of Controversy
An activist group based in Malta has identified a bulker laden with coal bound from Colombia to Israel and is demanding action from the government as the flag state of the ship. At the same time, Colombia’s government is demanding action and threatening to use its navy to stop future shipments.
The Greek-owned bulker Fortune (182,620 dwt) registered in Malta departed from Colombia’s Puerto Drummond. The vessel, built in 2016, is now mid-Atlantic with a declared destination of Israel. It is 10 days from Israel, but groups on both sides of the Atlantic are protesting its support of the Israelis.
The situation came to be known because Colombia’s mining union filed a complaint. A year ago, Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a decree barring ships of coal and trade with Israel due to the war in Gaza. Colombia’s Minister of Labor, Antonio Sanguino, received the complaint and called for an investigation, and working with other organizations.
Petro wrote online that the shipment was a “challenge to my government,” and called for the unions and government to convene. He threatened, “The Navy will receive a written order to detain ships bound for Israel.”
Volvieron a sacar un buque hoy lleno de carbón con destino a Israel. Un desafío a mi gobierno. Le pido al ministro de trabajo reunión urgente con los sindicatos del carbón.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) July 24, 2025
E informe de cunplimientos de sentencias de la corte constitucional sobre la ezplotación del carbon y el… https://t.co/IGPZpvBhKm
The Times of Malta now reports that an activist group issued a demand to the government, saying it must intervene as the ship’s flag state. They are calling for the ship to be turned around and take the coal back to Colombia. Failing to do that, they are saying Malta must remove its flag from the ship.
The group claims Malta should emulate Antigua and Barbuda, reports the Times of Malta. They claim the Caribbean flag set a standard for preventing ships trading with Israel in its registry.
It is not the first time that activists have targeted commercial vessels carrying cargoes to Israel. Dockworkers in various ports have reportedly sought not to handle ships bound for Israel. Maersk Line Ltd. ships under contract to the U.S. government were targeted for boycotts, and recently, an Israeli cruise ship operating in the Mediterranean has been met by protestors at various ports.