The Bahri Yanbu left the northern Spanish port on Monday after loading two containers, Alberto Estevez, of the Control Arms Coalition of human rights and aid groups which is trying to stop arms reaching conflict zones, told The Associated Press news agency.
A Spanish government spokesman said the ship took on cargo contracted from private companies that he said was not illegal nor contravened any international laws.
A company called Instalaza, from Zaragoza, sent weaponry for a trade exhibition in the United Arab Emirates and it will be returned to Spain, while another company sent ceremonial cannon to Saudi Arabia, the spokesman told AP.
A government source cited by Reuters News Agency, meanwhile, said the two loads "comply with all the norms". "They are not for use in war," the source added.
Countries are under pressure not to send arms to Saudi Arabia - the world's largest arms importer from 2014 to 2018, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute - amid concerns they are being used by a pro-government Saudi-UAE-led military coalition against civilians in Yemen.
Germany recently extended a ban on arms exports to the kingdom for another six months and Belgium is reportedly mulling a similar embargo.
Other European countries, such as the UK and France, continue to export weapons to Saudi, however.
The Bahri Yanbu, which has been making its way around European ports in recent days, arrived in Santander from France on Friday.
Florence Parly, France's defence minister, confirmed that the ship was meant to pick up French weapons in Le Havre as part of a contract signed with Saudi Arabia several years ago, the AP reported.
However, after French activists held a protest and sought emergency legal measures to try to stop the weapons supplies, the ship did not collect any arms in Le Havre after all, a lawyer representing the protesters told Reuters news agency.
According to Amnesty International, which has called for a halt in arms sales to all parties in Yemen's war, the ship took on Belgian-made ammunition on May 3 in Antwerp before sailing to France.
"This is a serious test of EU countries' resolve to uphold their obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty and EU Common Position on Arms Exports. Several states have failed this test in the space of just a few days," said Ara Marcen Naval, Amnesty's deputy director for Arms Control and Human Rights.
"No EU state should be making the deadly decision to authorise the transfer or transit of arms to a conflict where there is a clear risk they will be used in war crimes and other serious violations of international law," Naval added.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
The Bahri Yanbu left the northern Spanish port on Monday after loading two containers, Alberto Estevez, of the Control Arms Coalition of human rights and aid groups which is trying to stop arms reaching conflict zones, told The Associated Press news agency.
A Spanish government spokesman said the ship took on cargo contracted from private companies that he said was not illegal nor contravened any international laws.
A company called Instalaza, from Zaragoza, sent weaponry for a trade exhibition in the United Arab Emirates and it will be returned to Spain, while another company sent ceremonial cannon to Saudi Arabia, the spokesman told AP.
A government source cited by Reuters News Agency, meanwhile, said the two loads "comply with all the norms". "They are not for use in war," the source added.
Countries are under pressure not to send arms to Saudi Arabia - the world's largest arms importer from 2014 to 2018, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute - amid concerns they are being used by a pro-government Saudi-UAE-led military coalition against civilians in Yemen.
Germany recently extended a ban on arms exports to the kingdom for another six months and Belgium is reportedly mulling a similar embargo.
Other European countries, such as the UK and France, continue to export weapons to Saudi, however.
The Bahri Yanbu, which has been making its way around European ports in recent days, arrived in Santander from France on Friday.
Florence Parly, France's defence minister, confirmed that the ship was meant to pick up French weapons in Le Havre as part of a contract signed with Saudi Arabia several years ago, the AP reported.
However, after French activists held a protest and sought emergency legal measures to try to stop the weapons supplies, the ship did not collect any arms in Le Havre after all, a lawyer representing the protesters told Reuters news agency.
According to Amnesty International, which has called for a halt in arms sales to all parties in Yemen's war, the ship took on Belgian-made ammunition on May 3 in Antwerp before sailing to France.
"This is a serious test of EU countries' resolve to uphold their obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty and EU Common Position on Arms Exports. Several states have failed this test in the space of just a few days," said Ara Marcen Naval, Amnesty's deputy director for Arms Control and Human Rights.
"No EU state should be making the deadly decision to authorise the transfer or transit of arms to a conflict where there is a clear risk they will be used in war crimes and other serious violations of international law," Naval added.
Source: Al Jazeera