Israel Police has purchased an armored boat from an obscure Emirati company without an official bidding process, despite concerns from naval experts and senior police officials who question the necessity of such vessels. According to a report by Haaretz, the acquisition—along with another donated boat—raises concerns over priorities, procurement procedures, and transparency.
The first armored boat was obtained via a donation from businessman Moshe Levy, a former military officer and security consultant with close ties to former Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai. The police then secured approval for a second purchase—worth 7.5 million shekels ($2.1 million USD)—from the UAE-based Aksum Marine without an open tender. A third boat is also planned for acquisition.
Levy, who has volunteered with the police, said he was motivated to donate the vessel after Hamas’ October 7 attack, during which terrorists infiltrated Zikim Beach by boat, killing 35 Israelis. “It broke my heart, and I started raising money to buy the boat,” Levy told Haaretz.
However, naval warfare experts argue that armored boats are unnecessary for the police, as Israel’s navy is responsible for coastal security. “None of the police’s missions require these boats. They do not deal with terrorists coming from the sea,” one expert told Haaretz.
A senior police official admitted that while there is a possibility that officers “might find themselves facing terrorists at sea,” the armored boats were not a top priority. Critics argue that resources would be better allocated to land-based armored vehicles.
Concerns Over Procurement and Transparency
The police justified the purchase without a tender by citing urgency in the wake of the Hamas attack, claiming no other supplier could meet their specifications within six months. However, former naval officers questioned this claim, pointing out that multiple global shipyards could have provided similar vessels in the same timeframe.
The deal also raises transparency concerns. By law, police donations must be publicly disclosed within a month. Yet Haaretz found that Levy’s donation was absent from the official March 2024 list of wartime contributions. A senior police source suggested that personal interests may have influenced the deal, saying, “The need for it did not arise from the field. What do we need a boat for, especially one from Dubai? No one understood, until we did.”
Who is Aksum Marine?
Aksum Marine, the Emirati firm supplying the boats, is owned by Uzbek businessman Ulugbekhon Maksumov. The company, founded in 2019, has no known history of supplying boats to Western nations. Maksumov previously ran Inkas Vehicles, an armored vehicle firm involved in legal disputes with a Canadian company of the same name.
Court records from the UAE reveal that in 2022, Maksumov lost a lawsuit filed by his business partner, the Emirati ambassador to Kazakhstan, over allegations of unpaid profits and embezzlement. Haaretz also noted that Maksumov has ties to arms sales in conflict zones, including Syria and Libya.
Despite concerns over procurement and necessity, Israel Police defended the purchase, stating that “all required procedures and approvals” were followed to enhance operational capabilities. However, the controversy surrounding the deal continues to raise questions about the influence of personal connections and the true priorities of Israel’s police force.
