A Greek-owned bulker, Fortune (182,620 dwt), registered in Malta, has sparked international controversy as it sails across the Atlantic carrying coal from Colombia to Israel. Departing from Puerto Drummond, the 2016-built vessel is now 10 days from its destination, drawing protests from activists and scrutiny from the Colombian government.

The issue surfaced after Colombia’s mining union filed a complaint, highlighting a violation of President Gustavo Petro’s decree from a year ago, which bans coal shipments and trade with Israel due to the Gaza conflict. Petro called the shipment a “challenge to my government” and threatened to deploy the Colombian Navy to detain ships bound for Israel. Minister of Labor Antonio Sanguino has also called for an investigation.

In Malta, an activist group is pressuring the government to intervene, demanding the ship return the coal to Colombia or face deregistration from Malta’s flag registry. The group cites Antigua and Barbuda’s precedent of barring ships trading with Israel from its registry.

This incident is part of a broader wave of protests targeting commercial vessels linked to Israel. Dockworkers in various ports have refused to handle such ships, while Maersk Line vessels under U.S. government contracts and an Israeli cruise ship in the Mediterranean have also faced boycotts.

Source: The Maritime Executive