US weapons and amphibious vehicles on the Saudi ship Bahri Yanbu, an investigation underway in Genoa following a complaint by USB dock workers.

US-made military amphibious vehicles and boxes of ammunition classified as explosive material.

This is the material discovered by dock workers in Genoa inside the cargo ship Bahri Yanbu , coming from the American port of Dundalk and flying the Saudi flag .

Following the complaint filed by the USB , the grassroots trade union, which hypothesizes a possible violation of law 185 of 1990 , the law that regulates the export and transit of armaments from Italian territory, the Genoa Public Prosecutor's Office has opened a file entrusted to the deputy prosecutor Federico Manotti , who has delegated the investigation to the DIGOS and the Port Authority.

At the moment, the investigation is based on "acts relating to," meaning there are no suspects or formal allegations of crime, but controversy has already erupted. The Genoese dockers discovered US vehicles and weapons during an internal inspection of the ship, which had been docked at the GMT terminal in Genoa for days. The hold contained US amphibious vehicles and containers classified as 1-E1.1 , which according to international codes indicates explosive material, presumably cannon shells .

Tensions escalated, with USB workers blocking boarding operations and organizing a sit-in in front of the terminal gates. This concern was shared by other unions, led by CGIL-FILT, which emphasized "the workers' concern for the final destination of that cargo," fearing it could be used in conflict zones, particularly the Gaza Strip .

Local authorities have tried to reassure the public on this point, stressing that the cargo complies with current regulations and is not headed to Israel: its destination is, in fact, Abu Dhabi , in the United Arab Emirates, a country not formally involved in armed conflict and therefore not subject to the restrictions set forth in Law 185 of 1990.

The case of the Saudi cargo ship Bahri Yanbu comes just days after a somewhat similar incident involving the Cosco Pisces , which was carrying containers of weapons destined for Israel . Following union protests, the ship avoided docking in Genoa, stopping briefly off the coast of La Spezia before leaving Italian waters.