FACT-CHECK: Did Italian Dockworkers Block Passage of Saudi Ship Carrying Arms for ‘Israel’?
CLAIM: A viral post circulating on some websites and various social media platforms, particularly on Facebook and Twitter, claims that Italian dockworkers blocked the passage of a Saudi ship transporting arms to ‘Israel’.
One of the posts features an image of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman alongside the caption: “Italian dockworkers block passage of Saudi ship carrying arms for ‘Israel’.”
The post claims that Italian port workers successfully pressured shipping companies to return three containers of military cargo destined for Israel instead of unloading them in Genoa or La Spezia. According to the narrative, the USB union celebrated this as a “tangible result” of their campaign against weapons transfers. The alleged action was presented as part of wider European labour protests against Israel’s war on Gaza.
Verification: PRNigeria’s fact-check team launched an investigation to verify the authenticity of the claim. Using reverse image search and social media monitoring tools, the team traced the earliest appearance of the post on X to August 10, 2025. The post garnered over 1.1 million views, 25k likes and 6.5k retweets.
PRNigeria also checked the official website of Bahri, the Saudi National Shipping Company, but found no reference to any disruption involving their vessels.
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Using myshiptracker and vessel finder to check the ships voyage route, findings reveal that the vessel, a Saudi carrier with IMO/MMSI 9626534/403532001 was in Genova Italy as at August 9, 2025 and its Navigation status was underway, due to arrive Alexandria, Egypt on 13 August, 2025. The ship is berthed at Port Said Ach., Egypt as at August 16, 2025.
The ship is berthed at Port Said Ach., Egypt as at August 16, 2025
Further checks with official sources revealed that the Saudi embassy and Bahri had issued formal statements denying the allegations. In a statement on Monday, Bahri described the claims as “completely false and baseless,” stressing that the company has never transported goods or shipments to Israel “in any form.”
The company reaffirmed its commitment to the Kingdom’s policies on the Palestinian cause and to compliance with all local and international laws governing maritime operations. Bahri also warned that it reserved the right to take legal action against those spreading false claims that could damage its reputation.
Similarly, PRNigeria’s fact-check team contacted Mohammed Al-Sahabi, the Press Attaché at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Abuja, who clarified that the claim was not true.
Conclusion: PRNigeria’s fact-check investigation finds no evidence to support the claim that Italian dockworkers blocked the passage of a Saudi ship carrying arms to Israel. Vessel finders reveal the ships route to Alexandria, Egypt as its final destination. Further checks reveal that the ship is currently berthed in Egypt.
Verdict: MISLEADING!
By PRNigeria
