Day 4 of protests at Port of Oakland to block Israeli ship

Day 4 of protests at Port of Oakland to block Israeli ship
http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_26365041/day-4-protests-at-po...
By Natalie Neysa Alund and Harry HarrisBay Area News Group
POSTED: 08/19/2014 11:25:21 AM PDT1 COMMENT
UPDATED: 08/19/2014 03:37:52 PM PDT

The Zim Integrated Shipping Lines vessel Piraeus, right, sits idle at the Port... ( Laura A. Oda )
Staff writers

OAKLAND -- A fourth day of protests at the Port of Oakland continued to stall a container ship operated by an Israeli company, officials said Tuesday.

Protesters, who appeared at 5 a.m. at the port's Oakland International Container Terminal, said their presence on Tuesday once again effectively blocked the Zim Piraeus from being unloaded, since longshoremen have refused to cross picket lines.

The Pireaus was prevented from unloading over the weekend by Block the Boat protesters, in response to recent Israeli action in Gaza.

Port spokesman Robert Bernardo confirmed the ship remained unloaded but said about four other vessels in that same terminal were being serviced.

The Israeli vessel has not been unloaded because insufficient labor reported for duty, but workers are being allowed to go in and unload the other vessels in that terminal, Bernardo said.

No other port operations have been affected, he said.

When asked why some vessels at the terminal were being offloaded and the Piraeus was not, International Longshore and Warehouse Union communications director Craig Merrilees said Tuesday that "Longshore workers are attending different vessels at different gates where there are no demonstrators or police. The union has no issue with Zim and is not involved with any boycott of Zim."

Merrilees has said workers were reluctant to pass through protesters and police because of safety concerns, adding Tuesday that "those issues appear to be resolved."

The protesters on Tuesday totaled about 30 people and no arrests were made, Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said.

The Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. vessel had docked Saturday at the port, but dockworkers would not cross protesters' picket lines over the weekend to offload its cargo.

The Piraeus transports goods between Asia and the U.S., according to Israeli consulate spokesman David Goodstone. According to the Zim's website, 32 percent of the company is owned by Israeli shareholders, with the remaining shares owned by shipowners.

The Piraeus ship is registered in Hong Kong and Zim contracts with a Greek company that owns the ship, according to Goodstone.

"The consulate general said that the ship may eventually leave for another West Coast port if the protest continues, to drop off there," Goodstone said Tuesday.

Mohamed Shehk, a spokesman for Block of the Boat, said his group hopes to gain momentum and make the company realize they are not welcome at the Port of Oakland or other West Coast ports. Protesters are planning to meet Zim ships scheduled to dock later this week in Tacoma and Seattle, and awareness campaigns are planned for Vancouver and Long Beach.