Hmmm. I wonder why?
/
The disabled cargo ship carrying supplies to Palestine lies idle in international waters off Malta because that country won’t let it enter its port until the cargo is inspected, and the humanitarians aboard refuse to allow them access. The ship’s owners are doubtless denying the Maltese permission to board out of a concern to protect the privacy of the sacks of flour and infant formula in the hold, but you can’t blame the port authorities for wanting to insure that, by foregoing an inspection of an uninsured vessel flying no flag, and relying instead on the truthfulness and honesty of the ship’s captain, they wouldn’t be inviting a ship stuffed with high explosives into their harbor.
It’s a curious thing.
NGO Says Malta Blocking Access To Gaza-Bound Aid Ship Hit By Drones
May 4, 2025
VALLETTA, May 4 (Reuters) – An international NGO accused Malta on Sunday of impeding access to a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship which it says was bombed by two drones two days before, and Malta denied the claim, saying the crew had refused assistance.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international non-governmental group, said Israel, which has blockaded Gaza in its war against Palestinian Hamas militants, was to blame for the incident. Israel has not responded to requests for comment.
The ship Conscience, operated by the coalition, suffered damage to its front section including a loss of power when hit just outside Maltese territorial waters in the southern Mediterranean, the NGO said.
It had been waiting to take on board some 30 peace activists from around the world before trying to sail to Gaza at the eastern end of the Mediterranean to deliver food and medicines.
The NGO said volunteers from 13 countries who tried to reach the ship from Malta on Friday and Saturday were intercepted by the Maltese military, which had forced them back to Malta under threat of arrest.
“The humanitarian ship Conscience has been blocked in international waters since it was attacked by two drones in the early morning of May 2,” the coalition said in a statement.
It said Maltese authorities had also prevented the ship from putting into port to repair the damage and get help for four people aboard who it said suffered cuts and burns in the drone attack. It was the first mention of any injuries.
Prime Minister Robert Abela said Malta was continuing to offer assistance to the ship, but that Malta’s security needed to be safeguarded. He said the ship’s captain was continuing to refuse to allow a surveyor and Malta police on board.
Once it was verified that the ship’s cargo was solely humanitarian, Malta would facilitate repairs so that it could continue its voyage to Gaza, Abela said.
Malta has had a consistent policy of supporting Palestinian causes and last month admitted a number of injured Gaza children for medical treatment.
Al Jazeera buries the lede, but gets there eventually:
NGO in talks with Malta to repair Gaza-bound aid ship ‘attacked by Israel’
Ship hit by two drones near Malta on Friday; NGO blames Israel for attack.
An international NGO that intends to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea has said it was in talks with Malta’s government about allowing a vessel to enter Maltese waters to repair damage caused by a drone attack.
The ship named Conscience, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), suffered damage to its front section including a loss of power when it was hit by two drones just outside Maltese territorial waters in the central Mediterranean early on Friday, the NGO said on Sunday.
….
The Conscience, which set off from Tunisia, had been waiting to take on board some 30 peace activists from around the world before trying to sail to Gaza in the eastern Mediterranean. The ship had been seeking to deliver aid including food and medicines to the besieged enclave, where aid groups warn people are struggling to survive following a two-month total blockade by Israel.
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg said she was in Malta and had been planning to board the ship as part of the flotilla.
Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday that Malta was prepared to assist the ship with necessary repairs so that it could continue on its journey, once it was satisfied that the vessel held only humanitarian aid.