Oakland Block the Boat Fail. 5th Anniversary edition. And Zim keeps on Truckin.

San Francisco's Arab Resource Organizing Center is celebrating the 5th anniversary of their failure to permanently prevent Zim cargo from off-loading in Oakland.

The  2014 action, dubbed "Block the boat" was a triumph of bullying, ultimately achieving nothing.  Zim trailers still abound in the Bay area.

Oakland Block the boat fail

Oakland Block the boat fail

Oakland Block the boat fail

Even in the tumultuous world of international shipping, with the on again, off again tariffs, Zim's doing just fine financially, with total revenue of $834.3 million in Q2 2019, a 3.9 % increase from last year. Thats in spite of the best efforts of the BDS holes.

In the 2nd quarter of 2019, ZIM carried 731 thousand TEUs, its' second highest carried volume ever.

Zim's doing quite well, thank you

AROC's narrative and the reality of their attempt to keep Oakland free of the scourge of olives and artichoke hearts are far removed

Rather than an action reflective of "activists working in close partnership with members of ILWU Local 10, "  as claimed by AROC, the gates to the docks were physically blocked, with activists using their bodies, their bikes, and their children to prevent workers from uploading the ships.

Yeah, nothing says "close partnership" more than yelling obscenities.

Oakland Block the Boat Bullying

Is this what solidarity looks like?
                                                                 

AROC and  the Block the Boat campaign made it clear that the "B" in BDS stood for bullying.

Its not surprising that AROC would consider this event as one of the "most successful" in US history.  Sound and fury, signifying nothing.  Wishing them many more such "victories"

Read what really happened 5 years ago at the Oakland dock here: 

No Solidarity in Oakland, as protesters bully Longshoremen

Block the Boat has morphed into Operation Annoy Zim's Customers

In other BDS fail news....

In other BDS  fail news...

*  Georgia has passed anti-BDS legislation this week. The bill sponsor, Georgia Sen. Judson Hill declared it  “a critical step forward in defending Georgia’s state economy and public policy” and referred to it as “taking a stand against the anti-Semitism and discrimination of the BDS movement.”

 It is the sixth state to pass such legislation, joining South Carolina, Illinois, Florida, Arizona and Colorado.  21 states are currently debating anti-BDS legislation, including California.

Anti-Israel groups are so alarmed by this new  and unexpected battlefront that both JVP and American Muslims for Palestine have hired coordinators to influence legislative policy. 

*  From the Times of Israel: Good news about the Israeli economy

In 2015, foreign direct investment in Israel totaled $11.6 billion dollars – a 90% increase over 2014, when $6.7 billion was invested from overseas.

This remarkable increase in foreign investment represents an overwhelming vote of confidence in the Israeli economy, and rightly so. In spite of the global recession of the last decade, Israel’s economy saw consistent GDP growth, above even that of the OECD and the United States. To boot, Israel’s unemployment rate hovers around 5% – among the world’s lowest.

* A local blogger has documented many examples of BDS fails within the Bay area, including multiple sightings of Zim containers.  (What? Could Block the Boat have lied about their "success" in ridding Oakland of the scourge of  Israeli-associated shipping? )

  
The current  proliferation of Zim containers locally hasn't escaped the watchful eyes of the BDS holes, either

Universities rejecting BDS this month include: 
U Minnesota Capital U U Indianapolis Ohio State Northeastern

Even with so many tangible successes, there is still much work to be done.

From the Algemeiner, written by Roz Rothstein and Yitzhak Santis

Despite Impressive Victories Against BDS, the Battle Is Not Won

Complacency, however, is not an option. There is something to be said about the publicity these BDS debates generate. The loud and antagonistic disputes inject vicious anti-Israel propaganda into campus communities, often creating a hostile and unsafe environment for Jewish and pro-Israel students — and poisoning uniformed minds about Israel.

The struggle against BDS is not yet won. Education about the complex Middle East reality must be continued on North American campuses to combat the lies and misrepresentations of the BDS movement.

The road ahead is long and difficult, but the pro-Israel struggle against BDS will prevail if we continue to turn myths and libels into truth for an unsuspecting public.

The real lesson is that when we fight back, we win.

A Rising Tide Raises All Ships. Block the Boat Irrelevant

The international shipping industry did not fare well during the global economic downturn. After years of losses, shipping firms were struggling. Global shipper TMT Group filed for bankruptcy protection last June.  South Korea's STX Pan Ocean filed for court receivership.  PT Berlian Laju Tanker of Indonesia narrowly avoided bankruptcy. Zim shipping underwent re-organization and restructuring.

In the face of these formidable financial struggles, last summer’s anti-Israel protests at the West coast docks, attracting anywhere from a half dozen to several hundred people  hardly registered a blip on the radar screen. Nonetheless, anti-Israel activists under the moniker “Block the boat’ happily took credit for Zim’s reorganization and consolidation.

Last June, Zim abandoned its Asia-North America trade route, after accumulating over 450 million in loses from 2011-2013.  Block the boat activist  tooted their “direct action” as the catalyst for this routine business decision that was years in the making,

But a rising tide raises all ships.

According to Reuters,

The shipping industry is poised to emerge from its longest downturn in three decades, buoyed by an end to years of overcapacity that have depressed freight rates since the end of a shipping boom in 2008.

 Zim’s financials have also rebounded dramatically since their restructuring

From JOC

“There will be a positive bottom line this year,” says Rafi Danieli, CEO of Zim Integrated Shipping Services, the Israeli ocean carrier that is finally emerging from seven straight years of mounting losses and a multibillion-dollar restructuring that saved it from bankruptcy.

In an interview with JOC.com in London, the 37-year Zim veteran exudes confidence that the Haifa-based carrier will be among the most profitable in the industry within four years.

Zim’s trajectory changed dramatically following a hard-fought $3.4 billion restructuring struck last July, including a $1.4 billion debt-for-equity swap that halved its interest payments and paved the way for a return to profitability.

The deal also left Zim in the control of its creditors of banks, bond holders and charter ship owners who now own 62 percent of the company, with the balance held by the former owner Israel Corp.
The company downsized dramatically during the drawn-out restructuring negotiations in a bid to cut losses that have ballooned to $1.5 billion in the past four years.

The slimmed-down, financially revamped “new” Zim can finally focus fully on operational targets of boosting efficiency, finessing customer service and relationships, sharpening its sales efforts and expanding the cargo base on core routes, according to Danieli.

Zim is targeting growth in the Asia-North and Central America market, which already accounts for some 40 percent of its revenue, and in the fast-growing and profitable intra-Asia market.

Don't bother the Free Palestine Movement with the facts of their own irrelevancy, though. They have joined forces with  the  International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza to present a workshop on stopping Zim ships at the World Social Forum in Tunis.

We suspect they'll be as successful with this as they've been with their other ventures.

A rising tide raises all ships. Block the Boat and the Free Palestine movement are equally irrelevant to Zim's failures, and to Zim's successes.

Block the Boat has morphed into Operation Annoy Zim's Customers

Its not over yet. There is a new onslaught of unbridled self-righteous hypocrisy from Block the boat

Just a quick reminder of just how warped the Block the Boat moral compass is:

Block the boat proudly waved a flag in support of the terror group Hamas at their Oakland protest

Block the boat protest in Oakland

Block the Boat held banners that glorified gun violence

Block the boat protest in Oakland

Block the Boat  promoted endless violence throughout the world.

Block the boat protest in Oakland

Block the boat used anti-Semitic images

Block the boat protest in Oakland

Having failed to convince the planet that Zim's routine business decision to consolidate its shipping, and use subcontractors for certain ports was the result of their action,  this bigoted extremist group has morphed into Operation Annoy Zim's Customers

Psst, Block the Boat: If your original action was as ground-breaking and successful as you claimed, why is this even necessary?

Urging their followers to "strike at every single pillar that allows ZIM to perform business"  the companies on the Block the boat Hit list  "Zim Customer call in day" include:

ECOMMERCE SERVICE PROVIDERS TO ZIM:
INTTRA:
Customer Service: 1 877 225 1703

GTNEXUS:
Corporate Headquarters
1111 Broadway, 5th Floor
Oakland, CA 94607
Phone:+1 510 808 2222
Fax:+1 510 808 2220
information@gtnexus.com

These Companies Ship With ZIM:

Federal Cartridge Company:
CEO: Gerald Bersett
900 Ehlen Drive
Anoka, MN 55303-7503
800-831-0850

763-323-2506


Alliant Tech Systems:
Subsidiary of Federal Cartridge
13133 34th St N, Clearwater, FL 33762
(727) 572-1900


GOODS AND PRODUCTS:
Esteson Co.

(800) 682-4705

jim@estia.biz

Good Stuff Distributors,
located in San Francisco, California

2000 McKinnon Ave Bldg 428, Unit 7, San Francisco, CA 94124
(415) 647-6617

Alfa Omega Co.,
which has trading partners in France, Spain and Greece

20 West 22nd Street, Suite 801, New York, NY, 10010 / USA
P: +1-888-902-3511 F: +1-212-255-0795
contact@panjiva.com

Carmichael International Service:
Customers broker and freight forwarder- laminated glass shipments on ZIM

533 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026-5097

(213)353.0800

General Information:
info@carmnet.com
Sales / Marketing:
sales@carmnet.com

Cynara Worldwide Sourcing Inc.,
located in Fresno, California
2904 South Angus Avenue
Fresno, CA 93725
Phone: (559) 439-2365

American Metals and Chemicals,
located in Hollywood, Florida

2700 North 29th Avenue
Hollywood, FL 33020 -
Phone: (954) 926-7470

Its a desperate tactic from a desperate movement, whose extremist agenda was clear from the beginning. Block the Boat and the BDS movement have never been concerned with the "occupation"- they are opposed to  Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people within any borders.

Post Hoc Fallacy: Zim Shipping Restructures

In their frantic effort to achieve some sort of tangible victory,  BDS'ers often resort to wild abandonment of logic, cause and effect, and truth.

We're about to see it again.

The economic downturn of the last few years has left many of the container carriers floundering. New ships ordered before the financial crisis have flooded the market, and this overcapacity is directly influencing the profitability of many shipping lines.

That Sinking Feeling: Global Crisis Hits Shipping Industry Hard

Maersk Line sees shipping overcapacity for five years

The Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Shipping Industry and Trade Consequences

Zim Shipping  has also been struggling for some time.   Its 2nd quarter 2014 results were less than stellar.

 
In January, restructuring plans had been announced with Israel Corp handing control of two-thirds of Zim  to creditors . The final details of the restructuring were announced this week:

From Reuters 

Israel Corp, one of Israel's largest conglomerates, has planned to split into two companies for more than a year in an attempt to boost the value of its core businesses and attract a broader range of investors.

Under its plan, Israel Corp will continue to hold two of its most lucrative and stable companies -- potash and speciality chemicals maker Israel Chemicals (ICL) and Oil Refineries, Israel's biggest refinery.

On Monday, it detailed plans for the spin-off company, Singapore-incorporated Kenon Holdings. It will transfer to Kenon its holdings in five units: chipmaker TowerJazz, shipping line Zim, Qoros Automotive -- a joint venture between Israel Corp and China's Chery Automobile -- IC Power and IC Green Energy.

Among the expected changes for Zim Shipping is a consolidation of ports of call.
Although this is the culmination of events beginning in 2008, already the anti-Israel cru is declaring this a victory for BDS. In the Copernican world of  Palestinian activism, the entire universe orbits around BDS. There are no routine business decisions as far as the BDS'ers are concerned. Its all about them-  their "power", their "momentum".

Since the summer, attempts have been made in Vancouver, Tampa, Tampa and Long Beach and Oakland to block Zim ships. Outside of Oakland,  there has been resounding failure.

In spite of this, expect to see BDS'ers crowing victory as  further details of the restructuring become public.

To them, all I can say is  Post hoc, ergo propter hoc

Cognitive dissonance at the Port of Oakland

From the BDS Marin website, with no evidence at all that it was ever actually sent to ILWU local 10.

Stop Zim Action Committee letter of thanks to ILWU Local 10 workers at Oakland port

October 3, 2014 
 

Stop ZIM Action Committee
@StopZIMOak snurl.com/stopzims27
October 2, 2014

Brothers and Sisters of ILWU Local 10,

We, members and supporters of the Stop Zim Action Committee, want to express our gratitude to Local 10 members, who in the best tradition of the ILWU, upheld the principle of labor solidarity by honoring our picket line against the ZIM Shanghai on September 27.

We were protesting the Israeli government’s genocidal bombings of Palestinians in Gaza that killed over 2,100 people, mostly civilians, as we had informed Local 10 members by leafleting at the union hall.

Thanks to your support, day and night, we were able to send a clear message to the Israeli government that when they slaughter innocent Palestinian people, their ships will be targeted by protest actions. This is consistent with ILWU Local 10’s position of defending the rights of Palestinians.

Three of the picketing protesters were Local 10 retirees who were organizers of ILWU’s historic 1984 anti-apartheid action in San Francisco. One of them announced to a rally at the picket at SSA’s Berth 57 that an announcement had been made at the dispatch hall requesting longshoremen not to take jobs on the ZIM ship. The rally broke into thunderous applause as it was reported that only one job was filled.

We know ILWU doesn’t have a longshore contract yet and actions like this can be taken by the union without legal retaliation from the employer. There could not have been a stronger showing of support than longshore workers refusing to take a dispatch to the ZIM ship. In return for your solidarity we offer to mobilize ourselves and others from the community to be on your picket line if successful contract negotiations are not achieved and ILWU goes on strike. We’ve got your back!

An Injury to One is an Injury to All!
Stop ZIM Action Committee

Its curious that they've claimed that  "longshore workers refusing to take a dispatch to the ZIM ship" considering the Stop Zim activists themselves documented longshore workers attempting to get to their jobs, and being forced back.

ILWU prevented from working at the Oakland docks

Yep. Nothing says solidarity like screaming obscenities, Sara.

There's  a reason there is cognitive dissonance at the Port of Oakland. Its because liars have short memories. 

ZIM reported ready to abandon Oakland Port

From The Marine Executive:

On Sunday night, after not being able to unload at the Port of Oakland, the ZIM Shanghai headed to the Port of Los Angeles. According to The Jewish Press, ZIM may not call on the Port of Oakland again. Other shipping companies wary of the port’s unreliability may also consider the same.

With an estimated 150 ZIM visits a year, that’s a lot of business and perhaps even jobs for the City of Oakland to lose, says the news agency.

The longshoremen of Oakland have claimed that they were physically threatened by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) protestors involved in the blockade of the vessel and that the leadership of their union, the ILWU, is not involved in the demonstrations. The union released a statement after claims arose that some in their leadership were using the BDS protest to bolster their contract negotiating position with the port.

As far as the union can ascertain, the protests are organized by a coalition of individuals and organizations that plan events and create action alerts under the name of "Block the Boat for Gaza" online.

The Port of Oakland is the only port in the United States so far where BDS protesters have been able to intimidate and physically threaten the longshoremen into not working.

Curiouser and curiouser.

On Monday Sept. 29, Clarence Thomas from Local 10 of the ILWU participated in a talk at Laney College, where he described coordinating the protest at the docks with members of the Arab Resource organizing center. This is in direct contradiction to the Union’s formal written statement. Is the union leadership sacrificing the rank and file by making back room deals with extremist groups? Is the union deliberately hiding their role in organizing the protests so they can claim victimhood? Are they using the protests as a bargaining chip in their contract negotiations with the port? Or is Clarence Thomas simply lying?

These are all questions that need answers.

It has been reported that Zim has made the decision that the Port of Oakland is too poorly managed to be a reliable partner in the international shipping business, and is moving their business elsewhere. Other shipping companies, seeing how vulnerable the port is to disturbances may follow suit. And Oakland Mayor Jean Quan is too caught up in her own re-election campaign to pay this issue any attention.

While the BDS holes will likely claim victory over this, there are no winners. The Port of Oakland will now live with the consequences of weak leadership. It has lost more than jobs. It has lost credibility.

UPDATE
Zim has denied reports that it will stop shipping through Oakland. 
From a Statement in American Shipper, issued October 2:

 ZIM disputed reports that suggest it might end service to the Port of Oakland after demonstrators disrupted cargo operations over the weekend and a ship had to divert of the Port of Los Angeles to discharge cargo. There was a similar protest in August, but that ZIM ship was eventually able to work at a different terminal in Oakland. An article on the website of the Jewish Press newspaper Wednesday reported that "there are questions if ZIM ships will continue to try to use the Port of Oakland anymore." The report was also cited by Maritime Executive . But a spokesman for ZIM said Thursday that "this report isn't accurate. ZIM is not pulling out of Oakland; the customers there are important for the company....

The lack of accurate information from the union, the port and from the media is a continued source of frustration for people attempting to track the situation at the docks.

Threatening Dockworkers. This is not your grandfather's "Solidarity"

Physically threatening clerks and longshoremen. This is the true face of the BDS movement

ILWU statement on blockage of Zim vessel by protestors at Port of Oakland

SAN FRANCISCO, CA: At 6:00 PM Saturday, ILWU Local 10 and 34 represented longshoremen and clerks dispatched to work the vessel ZIM Shanghai at SSA’s Oakland California Terminal were met with hostile demonstrators, effectively blocking all access to the terminal. Longshoremen and Clerks trying to report to work were threatened physically at some points of ingress and their personal vehicles were physically blocked. As such, all personnel stood-by outside of the demonstration perimeters for health and safety purposes. At approximately 8 PM SSA released all personnel from work.

As far as the union can ascertain, the protests are organized by a coalition of individuals and organizations that plan events and create action alerts under the name of “Block the Boat for Gaza” online.

The ILWU is not among the groups organizing the protests, and the leadership and membership of the ILWU have taken no position on the Israel/Gaza conflict.

ILWU Coast Longshore Division news release: Saturday, September 27, 2014

Contacts:

Jennifer Sargent, 503-703-2933

Craig Merrilees, 510-774-5325

Oakland Block the Boat: Bad for Oakland

Agitprop site Indybay declared that the  Oakland Block the Boat action "won the support of ILWU Local 10 and ILWU Local 34 longshore workers who refused to cross the line." 

Yet lying comes as natural to the anti-Israel cru as breathing.  There was no "solidarity". The posts on Twitter from the Oakland Block the Boat showed the activists bullying  union members, and physically  blocking them as they tried to get to their jobs. 

 The dockworkers apparently fought back.

 

There was no "solidarity",  only selfish and thoughtless maneuvering by a self absorbed group of activists blinded by their seething hatred for the world's only Jewish state. But others could anticipate the consequences.


In a letter to Oakland mayor Jean Quan, the Pacific Merchants Shipping Association expressed their    concern, writing    

"...while demonstrators are entitled to their opinions regarding a geo-political struggle that goes back centuries, they are not entitled to harm businesses and workers in Oakland as the result of their opinions"

The letter, courtesy copied to Gov. Brown and others, continues:

"If port operations are easily shut-down by any group with a political agenda, the damage to its reputation will be immense, immediate and hard to repair. That this takes place at a time when port competitiveness is extremely intense, with cargo owners having many options through which to move their goods and our California ports only now recovering to pre-recession volumes, only makes the protection of the port more imperative."

Block the Boat. Bad for business. Bad for Oakland. And its happening again on October 25.

Block the Boat Vancouver: Another BDS Fail.

We know whats bugging the Zim Djibouti.

The cargo ship arrived in Vancouver Deltaport on September 5th, and abruptly left.

Declaring a BDS victory when only 6 people showed up to the protest seemed a bit grandiose even for the reality challenged anti-Israel cru.  Yet in their warped minds what possible explanation could there be for the sudden departure of the Zim Djibouti other than a victory for their noble cause?

Faced with no concrete evidence, the anti-Israel activists did what they do best. They lied.

The headline at the Popular resistance agitprop site blared: Vancouver Activists Block Israeli Container Ship Zim Djibouti :Tremendous Victory: Four-Day Vancouver Conflict Blocks Israeli Ship. The lies tumbled out fast and furious"...Israeli shipping giant Zim, the giant was defeated today in Vancouver, Canada."  "This is a huge victory for the Vancouver coalition..."

It was more of the same on Social media

Vancouver #BlocktheBoat is a resounding success!  Canada Blocks Israeli Container Ship Zim Djibouti http://t.co/t2rZWZdjzl
— Mirah (@mirahwood) September 10, 2014

#BlockTheBoat 'Zim Djibouti' still idle at sea http://t.co/nL1vHcd7qH Great sucsess for #BlocktheboatVAN. Example to follow! @Bea4Palestine
— Tingnett (@Tingnett) September 11, 2014

For ten days, the Block the Boat activists have tracked the Zim Djibout's movements with the obsessive fanaticism of a jilted lover.

Yet for all their rabid attentions, the activists missed something rather obvious.

Multiple US-bound ships delayed by Asian Gypsy Moth

Asian Gypsy Moth season runs from May through about November. Last year, Customs in L.A. stopped nine vessels in total. So far this season, which is only just over halfway through, 12 ships have been forced back into international waters after arriving at port with moth larvae discovered on board.

“We are in the worst Asian Gypsy Moth season that we can remember,” a CBP spokesman said.

From the JOC.com 

The Asian Gypsy month has recently been detected, in some instances in high numbers, on vessels arriving in North America,” the USDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a bulletin to shipping. “These detections have led to delayed entry to ports in the United States and Canada and could result in refusal of entry.”

Hapag-Lloyd informs about schedule deviations on its North Pacific 1 Service

Hapag-Lloyd informs, that after ZIM Djibouti berthed in Vancouver on Friday September 5, 2014, the vessel failed the Asian Gypsy Moth inspection held by CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency), the company said in its press release.

The vessel was ordered out to international waters as quarantine for cleaning. The crew commenced cleaning this past weekend and is expected to arrive back in Vancouver on Tuesday September 16, 2014 to be re-inspected. The OOCL London will pass the ZIM Djibouti and be the next NP1 service vessel to arrive and sail from North America.

Alternate arrangements are being made to move all of the cargo expeditiously. Shipment related notification will be communicated in a timely manner.

To the Block the Boat activists: If moth larvae could better achieve your collective goals and objectives maybe your attentions are best directed elsewhere.  Have you considered taking up macrame?

Vancouver Block the Boat Fail. The Free Palestine Movement Lies, and issues a hasty retraction.

On September 9, the Free Palestine movement sent out a whopper of a lie calling a non event at the Vancouver port a "4 day stand-off".  Social media reports showed only 5 protesters at the dock.

Photo via Twitter

Only a handful of activists showed up to  Block the boat in Vancouver

The Free Palestine Movement stated:

Vancouver Canada Blocks Israeli Ship: Tremendous Victory

In a four-day standoff pitting human rights groups and organized labor against Israeli shipping giant Zim, the giant was defeated today in Vancouver, Canada.

The huge container ship Zim Djibouti first docked at the high-tech Deltaport facility on September 5, only to discover that the workers had agreed to respect a picket line set up by human rights advocates. The coalition of picketers, under the name Block the Boat Vancouver, were trying to prevent the unloading and loading of the ship, as a solidarity protest against Israel's 47-year blockade of the port of Gaza and the recent Israeli sttack on Gaza that killed more than 2000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, as well as 72 Israelis, almost all soldiers.

The ship then returned to open water along the Pacific coast and stayed there several days, until midnight last night. At that time it set course for Port Angeles, on the US side of the passage to Vancouver. By unloading at an unexpected US port, the company apparently hoped to circumvent the blockade.

It didn't work. Perhaps the logistics of arranging passage by land through another country for the hazardous cargo on board was too much, or perhaps the docking facilities were inadequate for the huge ship, but it turned back and returned to the open sea. At the time of this report, it has still failed to declare a new destination and arrival time.

This is a huge victory for the Vancouver coalition, undoubtedly costing Zim enormous sums in fuel, delays, and having to carry excess cargo to unintended destinations, impeding the other operations. It also continues the string of Block the Boat actions at ports on the US west coast that began with the August picket in Oakland, California of another Zim ship that ended with similar results.

Let's all congratulate Vancouver and encourage ports all over the world to refuse Israeli ships and ships from Israeli companies. Customers will have to think twice about using an Israeli line for their cargo, as delivery becomes less certain. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a world wide campaign against Zim and all other Israeli shipping, until Israel reconsiders its policy of blocking all shipping to and from Gaza.

After issuing this obviously false statement declaring a "tremendous victory", the Free Palestine movement retreated, tail between its legs and issued a retraction, of sorts. The next day they issued another email, readily admitting there was "no picket line or blockade", but still attempted to take credit for the delay, claiming "it seems probable" it was on the basis of a union decision.

Their current email states:

We apologize for erroneous information in the item below. Although the sequence of the boat actions is correct, there was no picket line or blockade. Instead, the organizers provided information to the union, ILWU Local 502, and its members, including flyers distributed at the Deltaport facility. Beyond that, we have no information on how and why the ship was turned away, but it seems probable that it was on the basis of a union decision.

 

Currently, after trying to dock at Port Angeles, the ship has returned to a stationary position off the coast of British Columbia, and is listing a destination of Vancouver but an ETA that has already passed.

Please accept our regrets for the false information.

To the lying, scheming (just until they are caught in the act) Free Palestine Movement, I have just this to say about your alleged "victory" at the Port of Vancouver.

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc 

Congresswoman Hahn Releases Statement on Protests Regarding Zim Ship at the Port of Oakland

Rep. Janice Hahn represents California's forty-fourth District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a member of the House Committee on transportation and Infrastructure and issued this statement on  August 19th regarding the fiasco that was taking place at the Oakland docks.  With Seattle in the cross-hair of the anti-Israel activists tomorrow, it is still relevant.

SAN PEDRO, CA—Today, Congresswoman Hahn released the following statement on the ILWU Local 10’s decision not to unload a Zim ship docked at the Port of Oakland that has been the subject of ongoing protests:

“It is critical to the state’s local economy that this ship be unloaded. I urge the local police department to take steps to ensure ILWU Local 10 workers’ safety so that they may reconsider their decision and unload this Zim ship. This issue is about commerce in the United States not the political situation in the Middle East . Failing to unload this ship threatens the local economy and jobs this community relies on. I have been assured that the local police can guarantee the safe passage of workers at the terminal while allowing the peaceful protests to continue.”

“With cargo diversion a constant threat to our West coast ports, not unloading this cargo, simply sends the wrong message.”

“Last week in my San Pedro office, I convened a meeting with the local ILWU, the Israeli Counsel General, clergy, and representatives from Jewish Labor and the Port of Los Angeles to discuss this issue. We were assured by our ILWU leadership that they are neutral on the political situation in the Middle East and guaranteed that the ships in LA and Long Beach would be unloaded. As the co-chair of the Congressional PORTS Caucus, I hope that we can hold similar meetings in Northern California to bring key leaders to the table to find a resolution.”

“Finally, I stand with the Teamsters in calling on the ILWU to unload the Zim ship and allow important commerce to continue.”

Congresswoman Hahn is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional PORTS Caucus. She represents America ’s Port – the Port of Los Angeles . With the Port of Long Beach , it is the largest port complex in the nation.

Breelyn Pete
(202) 225-8220
Breelyn.Pete( at)mail.house.gov

Tacoma Block the Boat: Anatomy of a fail

Block the Boat Tacoma has followed the same trajectory as so many other BDS actions. A period of manic self promotion and a failure to achieve an tangible aim has been followed by a rapid series of "even when we lose, we win statements", and the defeat, now wearing the laurel wreath of "victory" is never spoken of again.

The Seattle Times reports

About 100 people opposed to Israel’s military action in Gaza formed picket lines outside Washington United Terminals gates on Port of Tacoma Road shortly after 7 a.m., in an attempt to keep longshore workers from unloading the vessel Chicago, owned by the Israeli company, Zim Integrated Shipping Services.

Instead, longshore workers were taken to the terminal by an alternate route and began their shift as usual. “We’re not going to talk about how they got in,” said Tara Mattina, a Port of Tacoma spokeswoman. “The ship did come in as expected, and the longshore workers started working at 8 a.m.”

The Police were also well prepared for this action

Tacoma police kept their distance Saturday morning, but they set up a roadblock on the Port of Tacoma Road for about 45 minutes, allowing access only to port workers with identification. Port security officers refused to allow parking in the vicinity, threatening to tow cars along Marshall Avenue and Port of Tacoma Road.

The self reporting from the anti-Israel activists provides a different perspective. They distributed leaflets promoting the scurrilous and discredited  apartheid meme

When thwarted in their efforts gain access to the docks , some activists discussed forging press passes.

Via Twitter:

Despite claims of ILWU "solidarity" with their aims,  the local ILWU was unimpressed. ILWU Local 23 President Dean McGrath firmly declared via Twitter  'No organization will hijack our 'muscle' for their purposes."

With no worker "solidarity" for their cause, the protesters tried to physically prevent union members from reaching their destination.

KIROTV, Channel 7 reports:

A fight erupted when about 50 protestors tried to prevent workers at the Port of Tacoma from getting in and out of their parking lot.  The protestors were part of a growing group called "Block the Boat,” which was attempting to keep an Israeli cargo ship from unloading in Tacoma Saturday morning.

Protestors swarmed a man's minivan at the entrance of the parking lot.  When he finally got out to approach the gate, there was a physical confrontation. Other workers were trying to get home after their shift but they were trapped by the group. 

The anti-Israel activists were filled with self-righteous indignation that dock employees might actually care about their work responsibilities

Protesters shamelessly bragged about using their young children to obstruct  the workers.  (Children as human shields? Where have we seen that before?) What kind of parent would do this?

As the protesters slowly realized they were on the brink of failure, their rhetoric escalated. The talk was no longer of unions and solidarity.  Thinly veiled threats were made to the port. The action was no longer about the Zim ship. It was about shutting down the entire port.

Zim's customer line was next in the cross-hairs.  This is nothing short of  economic terrorism.

In spite of the protest, The Zim Chicago docked and was unloaded  without major incident.

Cue the "When we lose, we win statements", in all their infinite variety

On Monday, the "block party" continues, with Block the boat Seattle. 

Block the Boat Fail: Unleashing the scourge of red lentils upon the world

Its all about the "occupation", they’ll tell you. 

And that’s why dock workers and longshoremen at the Port of Oakland were harassed for four days.

All to prevent crates of sparkling wine, olives and ceramic tiles from Spain, cheese and rice from Italy and organic red lentils from Turkey from being unloaded from the Zim Piraeus. Or perhaps the fanatics were targeting the irrigation equipment and solar heaters that happened to be manufactured in Israel.

More likely the protesters simply didn’t care. 

They didn't care that the Piraeus ZIM Piraeus wasn’t Israeli-owned or flagged. They didn’t care that ZIM America contracts with a Greek company Costamare to manage and operate ZIM Piraeus. Slightly more than 30% of Zim is owned by Israeli interests and that was good enough for them

For years, anti-Israel activists have been struggling to grow their movement, to find linkages with progressive causes. Unions were a natural target, and the International Longshore Workers Union Local 10 has been courted by the haters for years. What role the union and the local in particular played in this fiasco are yet to be determined.

Paul Larudee on Block the Boat: Truth-impaired and clueless.

 The clueless of anti-Israel agitators is a remarkable thing to behold.

In an article published in Middle East Monitor, Paul Larudee of the Free Palestine Movement displays not only an unusual denseness but a casual willingness to ignore reality. For its part, the Middle East Monitor invested no effort in fact-checking or verifying Paul's testimony

Paul Larudee in happier times. Photo from the Contra Costa times

From Middle East Monitor:

 According to Dr Paul Larudee, a co-founder of the Free Palestine movement, thousands of activists waving Palestinian flags turned out to blockade the Israeli cargo ship Ever Lasting, which pulled into a harbour in the San Francisco Bay on Saturday morning.

 The protesters intended to form a picket line to prevent work crews from unloading the ship, responding to the Palestinian General Federation Trade Union's BDS call for workers around the world to refuse to handle Israeli goods. "The Ever Lasting and its sister ship ZIM Piraeus were both due to be unloaded that day," Dr Larudee told MEMO.

"As it approached the docks, however, the Ever Lasting was ordered by the port authority to return to the entrance and moor to the side until further notice. In the meantime, the ZIM Piraeus had been treading water off the coast of Monterey since the previous evening."

In reality, the EverLasting is not an "Israeli cargo ship"  It's Hong Kong flagged and owned by a Chinese company. It does not even doesn't sail to Israel. Its not a "sister ship" to the Piraeus. Its not even a distant cousin.


The Ever Lasting sailed into Oakland harbor early Saturday morning.

and was unloaded without incident. There was not a single protester on the docks. The protest call , originally issued for 5 am, had been changed to 3pm.

Ever Lasting unload at Oakland harbor early Saturday morning

No, Paul. The 500 protesters that showed up at the Oakland docks late in the afternoon  at had no effect whatsoever on the docking or unloading of the Ever Lasting.

According to John Driscoll, of the Port of Oakland  

"Seaport operations were not impacted by the protest.  Operations scheduled for tonight and tomorrow are currently expected to proceed as planned."

And yes, Paul, he's a more trustworthy source than you. Paul Larudee's block the boat: It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Anti-Israel Activists miss the boat. Block the Boat fail.

In 2010, anti-Israel activists at the Port of  Oakland  sought to block a Zim cargo ship from docking. They issued press-releases declaring victory well before the targeted Zim ship had even steamed through the Golden Gate. Mainstream media was complicit in spreading their lies.

Photo from the San Francisco chronicle

Fast forward.

Its deja vu all over again.

The same activists, spearheaded by the extremist Arab Resource and Organizing center planned a similar action for this weekend, organizing largely via social media.  Originally calling for  activists to meet at the West Oakland BART station at 5 am, they inexplicably changed direction, re-issuing a call for action at 3pm.

There is some speculation that they knew they would be unable to achieve critical mass at 5am, while most of the local anarchists were still sleeping off their beer hang-overs, and that was the primary reason for the change. 

From Jane Jewell, of  the Marin county group 14 friends of Palestine

But there is also some speculation that the organizers were made aware that they were targeting the wrong ship.  Although it appears on the Zim website, the EverLasting is not a  Zim vessel. It was a fools choice for the Block the Boat organizers: Do they block the wrong boat, or do they block a boat that hasn't arrived yet?

Via twitter:
The Everlasting was off-loaded without incident, and the Piraeus became the focus of the action.

At 3, several hundred gathered at the West Oakland Bart station, and began the march to the docks. It was a typical Bay Area "peace" rally.

And as usual in the Bay area, not a single of the sponsoring "human rights" groups said a word about this glorification of violence . And as usual, although the protesters were happy to declare "victory", there was no real effect on port functions.

From the Oakland Block the boat march

The flag of the terror group Hamas was proudly displayed.

Hamas terror flag at Oakland block the boat march

No one would ever mistake the Block the boat activists for patriots, as they joked about burning American flags

From John Driscoll, of the Port of Oakland

At about 4:30 pm today, approximately 500 protesters entered the Port's maritime area (seaport) and demonstrated along Middle Harbor Road, near the Oakland International Container Terminal.  The protest was related to the Gaza-Israel conflict in the Middle East.

As of 5:30 pm, the protesters were leaving the seaport.  As a cautionary measure, law enforcement is maintaining a presence on-site.  Seaport operations were not impacted by the protest.  Operations scheduled for tonight and tomorrow are currently expected to proceed as planned.

As of 6:30, the Piraeus had not yet docked.
 

Wishing the haters of peaceful co-existence many more such victories.

The protesters did accomplish one thing from this utterly pointless maneuver.  A fundraiser for "The Vagina Monologues."  scheduled for the waterfront was cancelled and forced to relocate. The organizers scrambled to find a last minute venue to relocate their event

The Block the boat action has done more than hurt the reputation of the Port of Oakland as a stable hub for U.S. shipping.  The block the boat activists have proven themselves to be bad neighbors all around.  I'm certain no one is surprised.

UPDATE: In spite anti-Israel activists claims to the contrary,  the Longshore and Shipping News reported  Thirty ILWU members worked the ship, starting at 10 PM Tuesday and completing the work at 4 AM Wednesday.