Israel's military operations in Gaza have prompted shareholder activism at Danish shipping giant Maersk, where owners will vote Tuesday on a proposal to halt any arms shipments to Israel while the conflict continues, Reuters reported. The proposal comes despite company claims that it is not transporting arms to Israel, even as investigative reports have shown Maersk shipped armored combat vehicles and other military hardware to Israel.
The proposal was put forward by Danish shareholder group Kritiske Aktionærer and is on the agenda for Tuesday's annual general meeting. Maersk's board has stated it does not support the proposal, asserting that "The premise of the proposal is not correct, as the company is not transporting arms to Israel."
UN experts have called on countries to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, Reuters reported, arguing that Israel's military campaign in Gaza since October 7, 2023, in which Gaza health officials say more than 48,000 people have died, amounted to genocide. Israel has strongly rejected the UN report and says it is combating Hamas, which stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 and taking 253 hostages by Israeli tallies.
Activist group Eko has submitted a separate proposal calling for Maersk to enact greater transparency in its human rights processes, particularly focusing on high-risk areas including arms shipments. Maersk's board also does not support this proposal, Reuters stated.
Eko said in a statement that the company's denial of arms shipments came despite Danish media pointing to the contrary. Investigative media outlet Danwatch and Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet have reported bills of ladings from Maersk, which showed it had shipped armored combat vehicles and other military hardware to Israel.
Denmark, where Maersk is headquartered, does not currently have an arms embargo and has not imposed any restrictions on sending weapons to Israel.
