30 Jul, 2024 @ 15:18
1 min read

Uproar as US tanker carrying jet fuel for Israel’s war on Gaza enters the Strait after requesting to dock in Gibraltar

A US oil tanker ship transporting jet fuel for Israel has entered the Strait after reports it intends to dock in Gibraltar.

The Overseas Santorini was scheduled to reach Algeciras at 3pm on Tuesday afternoon but a flurry of diplomatic pressure appears to have affected its plans.

While the ship has now re-listed its destination as ‘the Mediterranean Sea’, there are fears that it could simply dock in Gibraltar instead.

The ship made a request to dock in the British Overseas Territory yesterday but the response is so far unclear.

READ MORE: Environmental activists in southern Spain call on government to suspend electric cable project being built under the Strait of Gibraltar 

Activists have put out a poster showing how to identify the Overseas Santorini

The pressure is mounting to deny it entry, however.

A letter from over a dozen cross-party British MPs has been addressed to Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and the British Governor of Gibraltar Sir Ben Bathhurst.

They call on the trio to do ‘everything in your power to prevent and prohibit Gibraltar from being used as a haven for the transport of military fuel used in Israel’s assault on Gaza.’

The tanker is reportedly carrying over 300,000 barrels of fuel from a refinery in Texas sufficient for ‘around 12,000 F-16 [fighter jet] refuelings.’

READ MORE: WATCH: Vessels in the Strait of Gibraltar are being fitted with sharpened blades to the rudders to ward off critically-endangered orcas

The letter claims that the trip across the Atlantic is made every two months as part of a US government contract to supply Israel with military grade jet fuel.

“The standard route for transporting JP-8 fuel from Valero’s Corpus Christi refinery in Texas to Israel’s port of Ashkelton includes stops in Algeciras, Spain, and Limassol, Cyprus,” it states.

Pressure from civil society, trade unions and political leaders in Spain had already paid off in scratching Algeciras from its stopover itinerary, the MPs claimed.

The latest movements of the tanker via MarineTraffic indicate that it has already passed Gibraltar, suggesting that it will not stop there.

Walter Finch

Walter Finch, who comes from a background in video and photography, is keen on reporting on and investigating organised crime, corruption and abuse of power. He is fascinated by the nexus between politics, business and law-breaking, as well as other wider trends that affect society.
Born in London but having lived in six countries, he is well-travelled and worldly. He studied Philosophy at the University of Birmingham and earned his diploma in journalism from London's renowned News Associates during the Covid era.
He got his first break in the business working on the Foreign News desk of the Daily Mail's online arm, where he also helped out on the video desk.
He then decided to escape the confines of London and returned to Spain in 2022, having previously lived in Barcelona for many years.
He took up up a reporter role with the Olive Press Newspaper and today he is based in La Linea de la Concepcion at the heart of a global chokepoint and crucial maritime hub, where he edits the Olive Press Gibraltar edition.
He is also the deputy news editor across all editions of the newspaper.

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