White-Eagle

The 'White Eagle' has been lying idle in the port of Nador for more than two months for reasons that were remainng unclear. The ship was en route from Sierra Leone to Lebanon, but switched off its AIS near the coast of Rabat. Then it unexpectedly berthed in Nador. What happened in the meantime remained a mystery. The ship has had a total of seven different names since it was built in Shanghai in 1991. It has previously been called 'Breadbox Falcon', 'Saphir', 'Baltimar Sirius' and 'Moresby Chief', among others. It was suggested that the ship had technical problems, but it was not towed, and the port of Nador has no repair facilities. Rumors of smuggling were now circulating. The 'White Eagle' has been involved in drug trafficking investigations in the past. However, the ship has not yet been fully searched. The crew, mainly of Filipino origin, has been on board all the time and is not allowed to leave. Even a visit by the Philippine ambassador did not change that.

Authorities in Nador have detained the crew of the 'White Eagel' at the city’s port. The ship, which flies the flag of Sierra Leone, was suddenly diverted to Morocco en route to Lebanon. The crew was not allowed to leave the ship and remained under strict surveillance. They were being provided with food daily, while medical teams were on standby to provide assistance if necessary. The ship’s cargo, reportedly around 6,000 tons, remained a mystery. The ship had no clear destination in Lebanon, which only adds to the questions about the purpose of the journey. The ship turned off its AIS while in international waters near Morocco during the voyage . This is a well-known tactic in smuggling operations to avoid detection. Furthermore, the coast of Sierra Leone is known as a base for arms trafficking networks, which makes the situation even more suspicious.

The mystery surrounding the 'White Eagle', docked in the port of Beni-Enzar continued. The ship, is carrying a cargo of 6,000 tons that it picked up in Sierra Leone and was to be delivered to Lebanon. Although the content of this cargo is officially unknown, the fact that smoking has been strictly prohibited in the vicinity of the ship, which is docked in an area not used for loading and unloading, is raising suspicions. The fact that the ship turned off its AIS on Dec 13, 2024, off Rabat led to the issue being followed with suspicion. Official Moroccan sources said they knew nothing about the ship and did not provide any information on the matter. Neither has Spain made any statement, despite the proximity of the port of docking to Melilla. Given the port of departure and the destination, it is thought to carry rather weapons and/or explosives, without any confirmation in this regard. The alarm about the presence of the ship in the port of Nador was raised by the Association of the Great Rif for Human Rights, led by activist Said Chramti, who expressed his concern due to the lack of official communication from entities such as the National Port Agency and the company Marsa Maroc. From the first moment, a strict surveillance was mounted around the ship, which, as it does not have the AIS activated, does not appear in this port.