At Tuesday's annual general meeting, Maersk shareholders voted down a resolution proposed by activist investors that aimed to ban the company from shipping weapons to Israel.

According to Danish media, a key Maersk shareholder, Critical Shareholders, along with 70 NGOs, urged the Danish shipping giant to halt weapon shipments to Israel. Earlier this month, the group Kritiske Aktionærer submitted a proposal demanding Maersk stop transporting military cargo to Israel. The motion faced opposition from Maersk's board and failed to pass during Tuesday's vote at the company's annual meeting.

Maersk has denied shipping weapons or ammunition to Israel. In a statement on Tuesday, the company clarified that its U.S. subsidiary, Maersk Line Ltd. (MLL), has never even submitted transport plans for “classified or sensitive cargo, including weapons and ammunition.” MLL is a participant in the U.S. Maritime Security Program (MSP), operating U.S.-flagged vessels that carry federal cargo, including military aid shipments considered key elements of U.S. foreign policy.

However, Maersk’s critics have a different interpretation of what constitutes “weapons.” According to shipping documents obtained by investigative news organization Danwatch, since the Gaza conflict began, over a dozen Maersk vessels have transported thousands of tons of military-use cargo to Israel. In one case of a complete system delivery, a bill of lading reportedly showed that Maersk transported seven armored Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTTs) to Haifa in November 2023. While HEMTTs are classified as cargo vehicles, they meet the EU’s definition of military equipment, and the Israeli military has used armored HEMTTs in Gaza for logistics and prisoner transport.

Additionally, Ekstra Bladet discovered nine bills of lading with HTS code 9306.90 (explosive ammunition and its parts), four with HTS code 9305.91 (artillery parts), and 31 with HTS code 9306.30 (bullet components).

“The cargo transported on behalf of the U.S. government does not contain weapons or ammunition. This cargo consists of military-related equipment as part of U.S. policy under the U.S.-Israel security cooperation program,” Maersk responded.

In Tuesday’s statement, Maersk once again denied shipping weapons to Israel, dismissing claims about its operations as "false representations."

“The activists' campaign is spreading inaccurate accusations, and in some cases, presenting assumptions as written facts, as well as generating misleading information by distorting publicly available data. Unfortunately, we’ve also experienced vandalism and illegal radical demonstrations at our facilities and against our employees. This will not change our position or our business practices, which are guided by international standards,” Maersk stated.

Maersk emphasized its strict policy of not shipping weapons or ammunition to conflict zones and reiterated its compliance with all international regulations. “We fully recognize our responsibility as a global logistics provider, and we have an obligation to continuously strengthen internationally agreed-upon responsible business practices — even more so when operating in active conflict zones,” the company said.

In November last year, a Maersk container ship was denied entry into Spain's Port of Algeciras over allegations that it had shipped weapons to Israel — a claim the company firmly denied.