Dockworkers’ unions in 22 countries and regions are preparing coordinated strikes and demonstrations on Friday, 30 October, in an international campaign opposing the use of civilian ports to transport weapons and other military supplies to conflict zones.
The mobilisation involves more than 25 trade unions representing workers at 113 ports, according to organisers, with planned actions extending across Europe, North Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Major shipping centres expected to participate include Hamburg, Genoa, Le Havre, Valencia, Algeciras and Piraeus, alongside Morocco’s Tangier Med and India’s Nhava Sheva.
The scale of actual disruption remains uncertain.
Some unions have announced 24-hour stoppages, while others intend to organise shorter walkouts, demonstrations or symbolic protests.
Organisers have suggested that the action could affect more than 40 per cent of Mediterranean cargo traffic and freight worth over $2 billion.
However, these figures represent estimates of potential disruption rather than confirmed losses or cargo volumes that will necessarily be immobilised.
The initiative originated among dockworkers’ organisations in Italy, France, Greece, Spain’s Basque Country, Turkey and Morocco.
It subsequently attracted support from unions in northern Europe and several countries outside the Mediterranean region.
Among the participating organisations are Germany’s ver.di, France’s CGT Ports et Docks, Ireland’s SIPTU and Denmark’s 3F.
Indian maritime unions have also declared their support, citing the effects of armed conflict on commercial shipping and the safety of seafarers.
The campaign follows an international declaration agreed in Istanbul in May 2026, when dockworkers’ representatives called for ports to remain outside military supply operations.
The organisers argue that commercial transport infrastructure is increasingly being used to facilitate the movement of weapons and equipment to active conflict zones.
Their demands extend beyond any single war, although opposition to arms deliveries connected with the conflict involving Israel and the Palestinians has featured prominently in earlier industrial action.
Italy is expected to become one of the principal centres of Friday’s protests.
The Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) has called a nationwide general strike, with demonstrations planned in more than 40 cities.
Port workers are expected to participate in Genoa, Livorno, Trieste, Ravenna, Gioia Tauro and several other maritime centres.
Genoa has previously been associated with protests against the handling of military cargo, including shipments linked to Israel and American military facilities.
However, the port’s representatives have indicated that they expect only limited operational disruption from Friday’s action.
The distinction between planned participation and actual interruption of shipping is important.
Large ports operate through complex arrangements involving terminal operators, subcontractors, transport companies and different categories of employees.
Consequently, industrial action affecting one part of a port does not necessarily bring all commercial activity to a halt.
Greece is among the countries where the effects on passenger transport could be more immediate.
Dockworkers, engineers and seafarers’ unions have announced participation in the protests, with Greek ferry services expected to remain suspended for 24 hours.
At Piraeus, the country’s largest port, dockworkers have announced a three-hour stoppage.
Other Greek maritime unions intend to participate in longer strikes.
Disruption to ferry operations could affect travel between the Greek mainland and its islands, demonstrating how a campaign directed primarily against military cargo can also affect civilian transport.
The effects will depend on the precise participation of employees and the arrangements made by port and ferry operators.
The planned mobilisation draws attention to the relationship between military supply chains and civilian maritime infrastructure.
Commercial ports are essential to international trade, but they may also handle military vehicles, ammunition, equipment and other cargo connected with defence operations.
NATO members and other states depend on commercial transport networks for certain aspects of military logistics.
Military equipment may be transported aboard commercial vessels or through terminals that also process ordinary goods.
The use of such facilities is not inherently unlawful, and arms shipments may be authorised under national and international export-control arrangements.
Nevertheless, dockworkers’ organisations argue that employees should have a greater role in determining whether ports are used to facilitate military operations.
This creates potential tensions between industrial rights, contractual obligations, national security priorities and government decisions concerning defence exports.
The implications are particularly significant in Europe, where governments are expanding defence production and seeking to strengthen military supply chains.
Any sustained disruption to port logistics could complicate the movement of equipment and components, although the consequences of Friday’s planned action cannot yet be established.
The protest comes as European countries increase military spending and procurement in response to deteriorating security conditions.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Europe became the world’s largest arms-importing region over the 2021–2025 period.
The expansion of defence trade has increased the importance of transport infrastructure capable of handling military equipment.
It has also exposed disagreements over the political responsibilities of companies and workers involved in these supply chains.
For governments, the movement of defence equipment may form part of legitimate security commitments and international assistance programmes.
For participating unions, opposition to particular military shipments is presented as an extension of workers’ rights and their broader political objectives.
These competing positions are unlikely to be resolved through a single day of industrial action.
Friday’s mobilisation will provide an indication of how effectively unions can coordinate industrial action across different countries, legal systems and transport networks.
Its practical significance will depend on how many workers participate, which terminals suspend operations and whether shipping companies can maintain schedules through alternative arrangements.
The organisers have demonstrated their ability to coordinate protests across a geographically extensive network.
Whether that coordination translates into substantial disruption to international maritime trade remains to be seen.
For European governments and shipping operators, the immediate task will be to manage any interruption to commercial and passenger services.
The wider question is whether opposition to the use of civilian transport infrastructure for military logistics will become a recurring feature of industrial relations across Europe’s major ports.
WISTA International has grown beyond 6,500 members, extending its influence across global shipping as it looks to bring more women into an industry where senior positions and careers at sea remain overwhelmingly male-dominated.
President Elpi Petraki outlined the association’s achievements over the past year at its Annual General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur this week, emphasising growing membership, closer ties with international maritime organisations and new opportunities for companies to become involved.
The meeting formed part of the WISTA International AGM and Conference 2026, taking place from October 28 to 30 under the theme ‘Bridging Borders, Driving Change: Asia Shaping the Future of Maritime and Trade’.
Co-hosted by WISTA Malaysia, WISTA Singapore and WISTA Hong Kong SAR China, the gathering brings together shipping executives, policymakers and industry professionals to examine the future of maritime trade, technology, sustainability and leadership.
For Petraki, the past 12 months have been particularly busy, with WISTA strengthening its relationships with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the United Nations, while taking a more active role in initiatives affecting the industry’s workforce.
Among those emphasised in her annual report were the Women in Transport EU Platform for Change, the UN Maritime Just Transition Task Force and UN Trade and Development’s TrainForTrade Port Management Programme.
WISTA has also continued working alongside the IMO on projects designed to improve opportunities for women across the maritime sector, from education and professional development to participation in industry decision-making.
Training has remained a particularly important part of that work. Through its partnership with the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, WISTA continues to offer scholarships that help members develop specialist shipping knowledge and commercial skills.
The arrangement, established in 2017, provides for five scholarships annually towards the Institute’s Foundation Diploma, covering subjects ranging from chartering and ship operations to maritime finance and port management.
Another programme has already delivered results this year. The IMO-WISTA-World Maritime University Gender-inclusive Leadership in Maritime Programme brought together 23 maritime professionals from 18 countries in 2026, combining online training with a residential course in Malmo, Sweden.
WISTA sponsored four participants, with the programme concentrating on leadership, project management, communication and the practical challenges of improving gender equality in maritime workplaces.
Meanwhile, the association has taken another step towards widening its membership by introducing a new category for businesses and institutions.
The associate membership scheme, formally launched in September, allows organisations involved in shipping, ports, logistics, transport, trading and energy to join WISTA’s international network even where they cannot become members through a national association.
Eligible organisations must operate in at least two countries and can nominate up to three representatives to participate in national WISTA activities.
To encourage participation, WISTA is offering complimentary membership until the end of 2026 to eligible organisations applying before December 31.
Petraki also reported the approval of two new members during the AGM.
Speaking when the new membership scheme was launched in September, she explained that interest from companies wishing to support WISTA had been increasing, although the existing structure had not always provided a suitable route.
“Broader collaboration with those sharing our vision is critical when tackling diversity and inclusion, as there is no one size fits all approach,” Petraki said.
The expansion comes as the maritime industry continues to face uncomfortable questions about how effectively it is attracting and retaining women.
According to the latest IMO-WISTA survey, published in May 2025, women accounted for just under 19 per cent of the maritime workforce surveyed, falling to 16 per cent in the private sector, excluding seafarers.
The situation at sea was considerably worse, with women representing just 1 per cent of seafarers employed by the organisations surveyed.
Those figures help explain why WISTA is putting so much effort into education, recruitment and leadership development, rather than relying on greater visibility alone.
Petraki herself addressed the wider challenge in an article published earlier this month, arguing that “inclusion is not about replacing men with women”, but about recognising the skills and experience available throughout the workforce.
The Kuala Lumpur conference is also examining these questions from a commercial perspective, with ICS Secretary General Thomas Kazakos among the leading speakers.
The programme includes discussions on building a future-ready maritime workforce, linking ships and ports with international trade and strengthening cooperation across the industry.
IMO programme officer Mariana Noceti and ICS director of employment affairs Helio Vicente are among those contributing to the workforce discussions, while a dedicated Women at Sea session gives female seafarers an opportunity to share their experiences and examine the obstacles that remain.
Cyprus has its own strong connection to WISTA’s international development. The island hosted the association’s 50th anniversary AGM and Conference in Limassol in October 2024, welcoming more than 350 delegates from the shipping, trading and logistics industries.
Petraki was re-elected president during that gathering, continuing a leadership history that includes former international president Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou of WISTA Cyprus.
The Cypriot association, currently led by Anna Pittalis, has remained active in promoting professional development, mentoring and greater female participation across the island’s maritime businesses.
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