Stuff.co.nz
A ship carrying 55,000 tonnes of phosphate from Western Sahara has arrived in Tauranga, having “disguised” its destination during its eight weeks at sea, according to activists.
The Venture Pearl, flying under a Liberian flag, came through the Tauranga Harbour entrance at lunchtime on Wednesday and berthed at the port.
The ship was carrying a load of phosphate from occupied Western Sahara, which will be turned into Superphosphate and spread on farms across the country.
Stuff revealed last year how New Zealand was one of the last remaining markets for phosphate mined from Bou Craa in Morocco-occupied Western Sahara.
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The Saharawi people consider the phosphate stolen and have implored Western countries to stop importing it.
Ships travelling to New Zealand with the phosphate have to take an elaborate route, avoiding most African countries – which consider the product stolen – and also avoiding the Panama Canal, where a ship was detained in 2017 before being allowed to continue.
The Western Sahara liberation movement Polisario Front has been tracking the Venture Pearl since it set sail from the territory’s port, El-Aiun, at the start of June.
Its Australia-based spokesman, Kamal Fadel, said the ship headed towards South America, stopping at Rio de Janiero in Brazil, and then sailed around Cape Horn.
It had listed China as its final destination, before changing that to Tauranga about a week out from its arrival.
Its cargo was listed as “fertiliser”.
