Did Israeli ship dock at Port Klang despite ban?

Tracking of a cargo ship belonging to an Israeli company shows that it made a port call in Malaysia last week, less than five months after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's announcement that all ships linked to the Zionist state would be banned from using local ports as a mark of solidarity with Palestinians.

Checks by MalaysiaNow using Marine Traffic, an application which gives real-time information on the movements of ships worldwide, found that cargo ship ZIM Rotterdam, owned by the Israeli company Zim Integrated Shipping Services, docked at Port Klang on April 29 before departing a day later for China's Port of Shantou.

The vessel, bearing International Maritime Organization number 9398450, flies the Liberian flag as it is registered in the African country.

The finding is likely to raise questions on whether Malaysian authorities failed to enforce the immediate and permanent ban on Israeli ships, which made international headlines at the time of Anwar's announcement last December, earning praise from sympathisers of the Palestinian cause.

The ban saw some 4,000 containers belonging to the company left stranded at several ports in Malaysia, especially Port Klang.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said then that the company would have to manage its own containers using other companies.

MalaysiaNow is trying to get a response to the latest development from Port Klang Authority chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah, as well as relevant parties including Loke.

Former Malaysian Rubber Council CEO Nurul Islam Mohamed Yusoff called on the government to explain the incident.

"The Madani government must explain how and why the ship was allowed to dock," the former PAS Youth election director said in a Facebook post.