Activists have urged authorities not to allow Malta-flagged vessels to transport military supplies, after it emerged that a container ship flying the Maltese flag is reportedly set to deliver military grade steel to Israel. In a statement, activist group 臓ustizzja g魔all-Palestina urged Transport Malta to 鈥渇ulfill its legal obligations under international law to halt the use of Malta鈥檚 flag, territorial waters and port services for any illegal transfer of military supplies鈥. Citing reporting by Irish investigative journalism outlet The Ditch, the group said the Malta-flagged container ship ZIM Luanda is scheduled to transport 鈥40 bulks of military grade steel鈥 from Barcelona to the Israeli port of Haifa. The steel, sold by Basque factory Sidenor, is bound for an address registered to Israeli arms company IMI Systems Ltd, 鈥渙ne of the main producers of the ammunition Israel uses in its ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza”, the group said. In a report earlier this month, The Ditch said Sidenor had sent 239 tonnes of steel to IMI in August last year, 219 tonnes in March and a third shipment of 356 tonnes last month 鈥 carried by the Liberia-flagged ZIM Atlantic 鈥 with a further 393 tonnes due to arrive in Haifa following a stop at a Turkish port. While the ZIM Luanda is not mentioned in articles published by the Irish outlet, Times of Malta has independently confirmed the details of the shipment and that the vessel is flying the Maltese flag. The steel is scheduled to be loaded onto the ZIM Luanda on Tuesday and arrive in Israel on July 10. At the time of publication, the vessel was en route to Valencia in Spain, after leaving Kingston in Jamaica 12 days ago. The vessel is owned by ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, a large Israeli shipping company headquartered in Haifa. Describing the company as playing a 鈥渒ey role鈥 in supplying the Israeli military, 臓ustizzja g魔all-Palestina said 鈥渁iding鈥 the company 鈥渞isks violating the third state duties of non-assistance to Israel鈥檚 crimes鈥. that Malta must seek cooperation from coastal states to prevent the ZIM Luanda from loading the illegal cargo. In case of non-compliance Malta must hold those responsible accountable and de-flag the ship,鈥 the group said. 鈥淲e continue to call on the Malta Government to immediately adopt a policy that reaffirms that it will uphold its obligations to engage in the necessary due diligence to ensure that no military supplies… will be carried under a Maltese flag.鈥 The group noted that Antigua and Barbuda had 鈥渟et the standard for such policy… To do nothing is to be complicit with Israel’s escalating crimes against Palestinians鈥. Terrorist group Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked the Gaza war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed more than 56,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.