Owners of shipping giant Maersk MAERSKb.CO will vote today on a shareholder proposal to halt any shipments of arms to Israel for as long as there is a war on Gaza, a proposition the Danish company has so far dismissed, Reuters reports.
United Nations experts have called on countries to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, arguing that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since 7 October 2023, in which Gaza health officials say more than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed, amounted to genocide.
Israel has strongly rejected the UN report.
The proposal to ban Maersk from shipping arms to Israel, which was put forward by Danish shareholder group Kritiske Aktionærer, is on the agenda for today’s annual general meeting (AGM).
Maersk said the company’s board did not support the proposal.
“The premise of the proposal is not correct, as the company is not transporting arms to Israel,” Maersk said.
Activist group Eko in a separate proposal called for Maersk to enact greater transparency in its human rights processes, particularly focusing on high-risk areas including arms shipments.
READ: Protesters shut down Maersk entrance over arms transfer to Israel
Maersk’s board said it also did not support Eko’s proposal.
Eko said in a statement 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 armoured 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.
Maersk’s general meeting will start at 1500 Central European Time (1400 GMT).