GREATER SAUDI COMPLICITY: GENOA DOCKERS BLOCK A SAUDI WEAPONS SHIP AS EUROPE MOVES TO CHOKE THE ARMS PIPELINE

Excerpt: Italian dockworkers in Genoa have again refused to be cogs in the war machine—blocking the Saudi state-owned cargo ship Bahri Yanbu after discovering it was carrying and slated to load military cargo linked to Israel’s assault on Gaza. Their action exposes an ugly truth: while European workers and courts are increasingly shutting the spigot, Saudi Arabia is facilitating the supply chain by moving weaponry on its vessels. This post documents what happened at the port, the growing European blockade-from-below, and why Riyadh’s role is a shameful entanglement in a genocidal campaign. ¹

Photo caption/credit: Dockworkers at the Port of Genoa block the Saudi ship Bahri Yanbu, August 7, 2025. Credit: USB/CALP via reporting by Marine Insight (image representation note). Link to report. ¹

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What just happened in Genoa—and why it matters

On August 7, dockworkers in Genoa mounted a determined blockade against the transit of the Bahri Yanbu, a Saudi cargo vessel arriving from Baltimore, Maryland. The ship was scheduled to load military equipment from Italy’s defense giant Leonardo—including an Oto Melara cannon reportedly bound for Abu Dhabi—while the vessel itself already carried weapons, ammunition, explosives and armored vehicles, according to on-site inspections by workers at dawn. “We don’t work for war,” dockers said, as roughly 40 of them boarded to document the shipment. Marine InsightWorld Socialist Web Site

The blockade forced a scramble by the port authority, which offered to discuss creating a permanent observatory on arms trafficking in September. But workers note similar promises followed a 2019 Bahri episode; without a ban on transit, they say, the weapons flow resumes under new pretexts. World Socialist Web Site

Block quote
“We don’t work for war.” —Genoa dockworkers, after stopping the Bahri Yanbu and exposing its weapons cargo. ¹

The political frame here is inescapable: the Bahri fleet is Saudi state-owned. When a Bahri ship ferries munitions that dockers believe are for Israel or its war coalition, it puts Riyadh on the wrong side of a dividing line where European workers and courts are increasingly moving to block such shipments. Marine Insight

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Europe’s counter-current: blockades, refusals, and court orders

Genoa’s action is not isolated. Since late 2023, dockers across Europe have invoked international law and basic conscience to block the flow of arms:

• Piraeus, Greece (Oct. 18, 2024): Dockworkers stopped the loading of a container of ammunition bound for Israel. Reuters
• Marseille-Fos, France (June 2025): CGT dockers searched a ship and found 19 pallets of machine-gun parts headed for Haifa, then blocked the shipment. Jacobin
• Belgium (July–Aug. 2025): A Brussels court ordered authorities to halt transit of military equipment to Israel via Antwerp, a major EU port. euronewsBusiness & Human Rights Resource Centre
• Spain (Barcelona, 2025): Following union and civil pressure, a planned steel shipment to Israel’s arms industry was canceled. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
• Pan-European coordination: The European Dockworkers Council and allied unions publicized refusals and coordinated days of action targeting Israel-bound arms. Labor Notes

These interventions directly answer the October 16, 2023 appeal from Palestinian trade unions, which urged workers worldwide to refuse roles in Israel’s arms supply chain. MERIPBusiness & Human Rights Resource Centre

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“End all complicity, stop arming Israel.” —Palestinian trade unions’ urgent call to workers, October 16, 2023. ²

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Italy’s legal backdrop—and how workers are forcing the issue

Italian civil society points to Law 185/1990—which prohibits export, transit, and brokering of arms to countries engaged in armed conflict or where international obligations would be violated—as a legal anchor for refusals. Campaigners warn proposed changes could weaken the law, while workers and rights groups argue authorities must enforce existing prohibitions consistently. Ministry of Foreign Affairsretepacedisarmo.org

Despite official hedging, labor actions in Genoa have already delayed or diverted suspect cargoes. In late July, intelligence shared by Greek unions prompted Genoa dockers to refuse handling military-grade steel re-routed from Piraeus; after the refusal threat, the containers were reportedly sent back to the Far East. World Socialist Web Site

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The Saudi role: enabling the pipeline while others try to close it

That the blocked vessel is Saudi matters. At minimum, the Bahri fleet’s movement of arms while Israeli operations devastate Gaza places Saudi Arabia in the logistical chain of a widely condemned war. Workers’ investigations in Genoa underscore the real-world effect: Saudi ships are the hardware, Europe’s ports are the choke points, and dockers are the last-mile ethics inspectors in a trade too often sanitized by paperwork. Marine Insight

Meanwhile, independent reporting describes how, twenty years after “disengagement,” Israel is once again occupying and controlling most of Gaza—with ministers openly touting “voluntary migration” for Palestinians and continued military control—conditions fueling the labor refusals across Europe and beyond.

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Why this story is bigger than one ship

The Genoa blockade is a flashpoint in a wider arms-supply reckoning. When workers and courts shut off transit, they challenge governments that profess concern while greenlighting exports. When a Saudi carrier continues to haul weaponry intertwined with Israel’s campaign, it signals complicity—not neutrality—amid a humanitarian catastrophe.

Block quote
“Workers will not become accomplices.” —European dockers’ message, echoed from Piraeus to Marseille to Genoa. ³⁴⁵⁶

If European ports can act—through refusals, legal challenges, and cross-border coordination—there’s no excuse for Riyadh to keep its fleet open to weapons traffic that abets ongoing atrocities.

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What to watch next

• Whether Genoa’s promised arms-trafficking observatory becomes a real, enforceable mechanism or mere public relations. World Socialist Web Site
• If Italian authorities enforce Law 185/90 robustly—or attempt to dilute it further. Ministry of Foreign Affairsretepacedisarmo.org
• Whether Saudi Bahri vessels face more coordinated blockades across European ports, especially as courts and unions gain confidence. Jacobineuronews

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References (footnote-style; all links live)

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Footnotes

1. Marine Insight, “Genoa Port Workers Block Passage Of Saudi Ship Carrying Weapons For Israel,” Aug. 11, 2025. Link. Marine Insight ↩ ↩² ↩³
2. MERIP, “Palestinian Trade Unions Call for an End to Arming Israel,” Oct. 16, 2023. Link. See also Workers in Palestine resource hub. Link. MERIPWorkers in Palestine ↩
3. Reuters, “Greek Piraeus port dockers block ammunition cargo destined for Israel,” Oct. 18, 2024. Link. Reuters ↩
4. Jacobin, “French Dockers Block Weapons to Israel,” June 9, 2025. Link. Jacobin ↩
5. Euronews, “Belgian court orders Flemish government to stop transit of military equipment to Israel,” Aug. 7, 2025. Link. euronews ↩
6. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, “Belgian court ordered EU port to cease arms trade with Israel,” July 17, 2025. Link. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre ↩