Dutch television RTL revealed on Thursday that the country's public prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation into the involvement of a Dutch shipping company in violating the arms embargo on Libya.

In 2022, a vessel operated by Dutch shipping company Groningen attempted to transport 41 BATT UMG armored vehicles from a factory in the United Arab Emirates to Benghazi. The attempt failed, leading to the seizure of the vehicles.

There are now discussions in Brussels about potentially donating the seized armored vehicles to Ukraine.

The 41 armored all-terrain vehicles were not the only ones seized in the past year. In the summer of 2022, IRINI intercepted another transport vessel carrying over 100 modified Toyota off-road vehicles equipped with weapon mounts and armor.

To date, at least 146 military vehicles earmarked for Libya have been seized under the auspices of the EU mission IRINI. These armored vehicles are currently stored in a warehouse near Marseille, France.

The United States recently seized a substantial quantity of firearms and ammunition en route to Yemen, subsequently donating them to Ukraine, leading Dutch lawmaker Bart Groothuis to advocate for Europe taking a similar action.

Groothuis called on parliamentarians to sign a letter by end of day on Thursday in support of the effort.  

Signatories include France's Nathalie Loiseau, chair of the Parliament's defense subcommittee, and Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt, both from the Renew Europe group.

They say that donating the nearly 150 vehicles would send a strong signal to Russia that Europe is committed to assisting Ukraine in every way possible.

A spokesperson for the EU mission IRINI has confirmed that it is legally permissible to donate the seized vehicles to Ukraine but that it is ultimately up to the European Council of Government Leaders to make a final decision on the matter.