In a shocking revelation, the international outlet Middle East Eye linked Greek shipping capital to one of the most brutal wars of the 21st century, the genocide of Israel in Gaza.
As MEE reveals, bringing the relevant documents to light, Greek shipping companies are secretly transporting oil, coal and military cargo to Israel.
According to a new report by the campaign No Harbour for Genocide, seen exclusively by MEE, at least 57 covert shipments of crude oil were delivered to Israeli ports between May 2024 and December 2025, while Israel was carrying out the genocide in Gaza.
Approximately 47 million barrels of oil were transported to Israel via Turkey, with tracking signals disabled and false destinations declared, meaning the shipments were carried out secretly and in direct violation of Turkey’s trade embargo on Israel.
In 2025, ships of Greek interests were also involved in at least 13 missions to Israel transporting ammunition, machine gun components and other military materials used by Elbit Systems, the country’s largest weapons manufacturer.
The incriminating routes and the involvement of two major Greek shipping families
Between October 2023 and February 2026, eight covert coal deliveries totaling 751,000 tons were sent from South Africa to Israel, according to satellite images and maritime tracking data.
The overwhelming majority of ships transporting this coal and oil were managed by the companies Kyklades Maritime Corporation and Thenamaris Ships Management, which are controlled respectively by two Greek shipping dynasties, the Alafouzos family and the Martinos family.
The billionaire owner of the football team of Panathinaikos, Giannis Alafouzos, recently met with American officials to “discuss cooperation amid pressure on global energy security and the supply chain”, while the Martinos family owns the largest shipping fleet in Greece.
Greek ships departed from the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan declaring false destinations, most commonly Port Said, researchers from No Harbour for Genocide found.
The shut transmitters and the unloading in Ashkelon
The activist alliance, which includes the organizations Progressive International, Palestinian Youth Movement, Energy Embargo for Palestine, Global Energy Embargo for Palestine and People's Embargo for Palestine, discovered that vessels were disabling automatic identification systems (AIS), which record a ship’s position.
After “going dark”, the ships reappeared after unloading their cargo in Israeli ports, mainly in Ashkelon.
Satellite images seen by MEE confirm that the ships were docked in Israel while their transmitters were inactive.
The Greek ships transporting coal from South Africa to Israel usually declared Damietta as their destination, despite not docking there.
They disabled AIS tracking signals in the Mediterranean while heading east, before reactivating them weeks later.
The Greek “shadow fleet” in the service of Netanyahu
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires all ships of 300 tons and above to keep AIS active, making it illegal for all but smaller commercial vessels to switch off their signals.
Ships that turn off their signals or use other concealment tactics to evade international sanctions are referred to as part of a “shadow fleet”.
Notably, Middle East Eye requested comment from Kyklades and Thenamaris, but neither responded at the time of publication.
Greek tankers under the management of both companies are also reported to have been part of a shadow fleet transporting oil to Russia after the sanctions imposed following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Greece and Israel enjoy significant economic and military ties, with former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis describing the country this week as a “satellite” and “handmaiden” of Israel.
Europe in turmoil, Greek shipowners complicit in a brutal war
Since the genocide of Israel in Gaza began following the attacks led by Hamas on 7 October 2023, activists and organized labor movements across Europe and the world have been pressuring countries and companies to stop supplying Israel with weapons and vital goods.
“Dockworkers and communities put their bodies and jobs at risk to stop a genocide,” said Ana Sanchez, spokesperson for the No Harbour for Genocide campaign.
“Shipowners are turning off their tracking systems, falsifying destinations and putting seafarers at risk, all to profiteer. We know who they are, we know what they are doing, and now everyone else knows. It is time for them to be held accountable.”
91.23% of oil shipments to Israel via Greek ships
In February, dockworkers in more than 20 Mediterranean ports went on strike demanding an end to the transport of military cargo to Israel.
In May 2024, Turkey announced that it was suspending all imports and exports with Israel, citing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
However, ships managed by Greek shipping families helped circumvent this embargo.
Between October 2022 and the start of the embargo on 1 May 2024, Thenamaris and Kyklades accounted for 21.82% of oil shipments from Turkey to Israel.
From 2 May 2024 to 1 December 2025, according to No Harbour for Genocide, the two Greek companies accounted for 91.23% of oil shipments from Turkey to Israel.
The dark role of Azerbaijan in strengthening Israel
The crude oil delivered to Israel by the Greek companies comes from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which stretches 1,768 kilometers from a cluster of Azerbaijani oil fields in the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean.
This is refined into jet fuel for the Israeli air force and fuel for military vehicles and tanks.
Israel obtains at least 30% of its oil from the pipeline, which is operated by the British oil giant BP.
Since the war between USA and Israel against Iran began in late February, there are fears in Israel that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will target this critical energy infrastructure.
While Thenamaris and Kyklades have transported large shipments of oil to Israel from Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon and Venezuela, their most significant relationship is with BP and SOCAR, the state oil company of Azerbaijan and co-owner of the BTC pipeline.
“This report shows that Israel’s war is not sustained in isolation, but through an international network of companies, ports and governments that keep the flow of fuel and weapons going, even as atrocities are broadcast worldwide,” said Layla Hazaineh of Progressive International.
Overt military reinforcement amid genocide
In addition to the shadow shipments of oil and thermal coal, on which Israel depends for the operation of its two coal-fired power plants, Greek companies are proving critical in supplying military cargo to Israel during the genocide in Gaza.
The No Harbour for Genocide investigation found that in 2025 alone, at least 13 routes from four ships of Greek interests, the Contship Era, Marla Bull, Jamaica and Zim America, transported military material used by Elbit Systems.
Many of the Greek-owned ships involved in these transfers were managed by ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, Israel’s largest shipping company.
Wave of reactions and prosecutions against Greek dockworkers
The Contship Era completed at least five military cargo missions to Israel in 2025, including components for machine guns.
The Marla Bull, owned and managed by Marla Dry Bulk Shipmanagement, carried out five missions destined for Elbit Systems.
In October 2024, the Marla Bull was successfully blocked from transporting 21 tons of ammunition from the port of Piraeus, following intervention by dockworkers and activists.
Shortly thereafter, it was reported that Markos Vekris, head of the Greek dockworkers’ union ENEDEP, was facing prosecution “for an act of solidarity that blocked ammunition bound for Israel”.
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