Finnish police are investigating whether a captain overloaded a boat that sought to breach Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The captain, Mika Jamian, is suspected of exceeding the maximum number of passengers allowed, according to a report Thursday by the Turun Sonomat daily. It said the ship, the Estelle, carried 30 people when it sailed to Gaza last year although its maximum allowed capacity was 17.
Trafi, the Finnish travel safety agency, suspended Jamian’s sailing license for six months, the report said.
“Of course, the ship had too many people, but I could not help it,” Jamian told the Finnish paper.
In July, Mattias Gardell, a spokesman for the Ship to Gaza campaign, told JTA that the ship had carried 17 activists.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
The activists who sailed aboard the Estelle to Gaza are part of the international Free Gaza Movement, which argues that the blockade of Gaza is illegal and causing humanitarian problems in Gaza. Israel says the blockade keeps Hamas from obtaining weapons.
The activists were arrested by Israeli navy troops and deported to their countries of origin. The ship was confiscated by Israeli authorities and is still in Israel, according to Turun Sonomat.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
