The vessel 'Alycia' arrived on Tuesday 7 August 2012 at Risdon dock in Hobart, ready to discharge its controversial cargo of phosphate from occupied Western Sahara for the local fertilizer producer Impact Fertilisers.
The Tasmanian fertiliser company Impact has for a number of years purchased phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara. The purchases contribute to uphold the occupation of the territory. It comes labelled as import from 'Morocco' although it really comes from Western Sahara. Morocco illegally and brutally occupied Western Sahara in 1975.
The phosphate rock is used to make superphosphate fertiliser used mainly to improve pasture, but sometimes for crops.
The Maltese flagged vessel (IMO number 958336) loaded the cargo in occupied territory on 18 June 2012.
It is owned by a Greek shipping company. The image above shows the vessel docked at the harbour in Risdon, Tasmania, on 7 August 2012.
The Australian Western Sahara Association protests the purchase by Australian companies of phosphate coming from Western Sahara which is sold by the occupying power, Morocco, without consulting the indigenous Saharawi people, without their consent, and giving them no benefit.
WSRW has on several occasions called on Impact to halt its unethical purchases.
In October-November 2010 tens of thousands of Saharawis held a protest camp at Gdeim Izik, near the occupied capital, El Aaiun. They complained that they were being treated as second class citizens in their own country, while Morocco exploited their natural resources for its profit.
So far, no oil and gas have been discovered in Western Sahara. Two exploration licences are today operated by foreign companies, both from Israel, both offshore.
The French company Engie has since 2023 been installing windmills in occupied Western Sahara for a massive project that would lead to the large-scale settlement of Moroccan farmers in the occupied territory.
For the eleventh year in a row, Western Sahara Resource Watch publishes a detailed, annual overview of the companies involved in the purchase of conflict phosphates from occupied Western Sahara.
For the first time, Portugal is the biggest exporter of gas products into occupied Western Sahara.