According to a September 15 report by Bloomberg, Malaysian authorities have seized several more batches of goods destined for Israel at one of the country's largest ports.

People familiar with the matter said that on August 19, three containers destined for the Port of Ashdod, south of Tel Aviv, Israel, were detained at Port Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia, and have still not been released as of now, with authorities investigating the contents.

The three containers seized this time are reportedly loaded with electric bicycle parts. Bloomberg reported that tracking data from Maersk, which is carrying these goods, shows that nearly a month later, these containers are still stranded at the transshipment port.

Before this seizure, one container had already been initially detained on August 7. According to earlier reports by Malaysian media, the container arrived from Manila, the Philippines, on July 27 and was originally scheduled to be shipped out of Port Tanjung Pelepas on August 9 by the vessel "Maersk Berlin." Malaysia's Border Control and Protection Agency stated in a declaration that it suspected the container contained weapons because its destination was the Israeli defense technology company Elbit Systems.

Bloomberg, citing vessel tracking information from Hapag-Lloyd, reported that the ship carrying this batch of goods is still at Port Tanjung Pelepas.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar posted a response on social media to Bloomberg's report, saying: "Malaysia's position is clear and firm. We will not allow our country to be used as a transit channel for any goods that support or facilitate Israel's military capabilities..." he wrote. "Any suspicious goods will be inspected and investigated in accordance with Malaysian law. Once a violation is determined, decisive action will be taken."

Bloomberg reported that Malaysia has no diplomatic or trade relations with Israel. This reflects its longstanding position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and therefore under its customs regulations, imports from Israel and exports to Israel are prohibited, but the regulations do not apply to transit goods.

Since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, Maersk has long been accused by humanitarian organizations of transporting weapons to Israel. In early 2025, independent Danish media reported that container ships under Maersk had transported large quantities of military equipment to Israel starting in October 2023. Maersk subsequently denied at its March shareholders' meeting that it had transported weapons or ammunition to Israel during the conflict, but acknowledged that it had transported military-related goods.

At Maersk's shareholders' meeting in March this year, Maersk shareholders proposed a motion demanding that the company stop carrying goods related to Israel's military industry. However, the proposal ultimately did not pass at the shareholders' meeting.