[UPDATED] Anwar bins rumours of Israel’s ZIM ships docking in Malaysia

PUTRAJAYA – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has denied rumours that Israeli shipping company ZIM has docked in Malaysia.

He also said that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the one who allowed ships by Israel’s Zionist regime to dock in the country since 2002, and it was the Pakatan Harapan government that banned them. 

“The one who allowed it was Tun Mahathir in 2002, and it continued until our government banned it. That is our stand,” he said today. 

Anwar said this after launching the National Anti-Corruption Strategies 2024-2028 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre.

Putrajaya has banned all Israeli-flagged cargo ships from docking at its ports since last year in response to the war on Gaza by Israel.

On December 20, Anwar announced the implementation of a maritime embargo targeting vessels affiliated with Israel, specifically ZIM, which is the largest shipping company in Israel.

This decision comes amid increasing concerns about disruptions to global shipping due to attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea.

Last week, it was reported that a cargo ship owned by an Israeli company was seen departing Malaysia, less than five months after the ban.

According to a report, based on Marine Traffic, an app tracking global shipping movements, cargo ship ZIM Rotterdam – managed by Zim Integrated Shipping Services – docked at Port Klang on April 29.

It departed the next day bound for Shantou Port, China.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke had said a port operator would be reprimanded for wrongfully allowing a container owned by Israeli company ZIM to exit the port’s compound.

This comes after a video of a container lorry bearing ZIM’s logo driving on a highway believed to be in Malaysia made the rounds on social media. 

Confirming the incident, Loke said while Putrajaya banned ZIM’s vessels from anchoring in Malaysia, the shipping company still has containers stored in various ports here from previous operations.

He also said only about four or five ZIM containers remain in Malaysia, after about 4,000 containers belonging to the company were recorded in the country last December.

On December 20, Anwar announced that ZIM was no longer allowed to anchor in Malaysia.

The cabinet in 2002 first allowed Israeli-owned ships to dock in Malaysia, with the move upheld by the cabinet in 2005. – May 7, 2024