| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Amalthea |
| Owner | A.C.A. Shipping Corp. (Greece) [1] |
| Port of registry | Giurgiulesti, Moldova |
| Builder | Sanyo shipyard, Japan |
| Completed | 1985 |
| Identification | ERJI |
| Status | Under charter |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | General Cargo: single-decker |
| Tonnage | 2822 (GT) |
| Length | 91.6 m |
| Beam | 15.6 m |
| Draught | 6.2 m |
| Depth | 7.45 m |
| Installed power | |
| Speed | Approx. 10 knots |
| Capacity |
|
MV Amalthea (built 1985) is a Moldovan-flagged cargo ship owned by A.C.A. Shipping in Greece. [1]
In 2010, Amalthea was chartered by the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation (GICDF), a Libyan charity organization headed by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Renamed Hope for the voyage, it left the port of Lavrio, Greece around 8 pm on 10 July 2010 carrying 2,000 tons of food, medical supplies [2] and pre-fabricated houses. [3] Israel requested the United Nations to prevent Libyan sponsored Gaza-bound marine vessel from "violating the existing naval blockade on the Gaza Strip". [4] The ship docked at the port of El Arish, Egypt on 14 July [5] from where the supplies were reportedly to be taken to Gaza by road. The humanitarian aid and supplies were donated by Greek companies and charities. [2] "We got the grapes, so why kill the vineyard guard?" Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, GICDF chairman, explained the agreement of Libya to transfer fifty million US dollars through UNRWA for reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. [6] According to reports the deal was brokered by Martin Schlaff, who is thought to have close ties to leaders in both Israel and Libya. [7]