Maersk continues to transport goods for illegal Israeli settlements

Just under a year ago, Maersk announced that it had strengthened its screening procedures regarding the transport of goods to illegal Israeli settlements in order to align with UN standards.

However, a new analysis from Oxfam Denmark and the international grassroots movement Palestinian Youth Movement has uncovered that Maersk continues to transport goods to the settlements, violating both UN standards and its publicly stated policy.

The Palestinian Youth Movement has reviewed cargo documents, which show that Maersk has been responsible for a door-to-door transport service for a company with production facilities in the Ariel settlement in the occupied West Bank. The analysis also includes images of the specific Maersk containers inside the settlement.

This practice runs contrary to Maersk’s announcement that it intends to align with UN standards. According to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and principles of the UN Global Compact, companies must engage in due diligence and avoid contributing to human rights violations.

In response to a request for comment, Maersk confirmed that they transported the shipment to the customer at the port but claimed not to be responsible for the final leg of the journey from port to settlement. Maersk claims that a port-to-port transfer for this customer was conducted in line with their due diligence policy and international standards.

Maersk’s statement suggests their due diligence processes are not fit-for-purpose. Maersk’s responsibility under the applicable international norms requires the company to act with due diligence to prevent or mitigate negative impacts on rights. In this case that means its screening processes should have prevented such a shipment from being handled by Maersk, or at least triggered steps by Maersk to prevent the shipment occurring. Neither seems to have been the case.

The Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. Despite this, the expansion of settlements is proceeding at an unprecedented pace. Last month the Israeli security cabinet approved the establishment of 34 new West Bank settlements, and recently the Israeli government has approved a series of measures making it easier for settlers in the occupied West Bank to acquire land and granting Israeli authorities greater control over Palestinians.

As settlements expand, they directly drive forcible displacement and fuel escalating violence against Palestinians. Palestinian communities are pushed off their land through demolitions, land seizures, and settler attacks, often carried out with impunity or under the protection of Israeli forces. According to the UN agency OCHA, 1,079 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank including East Jerusalem between October 2023 and the 30th of March this year by Israeli forces or settlers.

Oxfam and the Palestinian Youth Movement believe that Maersk should follow through on its previous announcement, comply with UN standards and stop transporting goods to illegal settlements.