At least 20 of the boats delayed as a result of a steamer in the Suez canal carrying stock, according to marine tracking data, are raising concerns about the welfare of the animals if the logjam comes too far.
The 220,000-tonne that has ever been delivered is causing the longest closure of the Suez canal in decades with more than 200 boats deemed impassable, with incoming ships moving around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa.
Georgios Hatzimanolis, a spokesman for the Marine Traffic tracking website, said that while some livestock vessels were waiting to enter the waterway, there appear to be three – Omega Star, the Unimar and Sea Star – “all stuck at different places in the canal”. Marine Traffic data showed 11 derelict livestock boats, while NGOs have identified others, bringing the total number identified so far to 20.
Five of the identified vessels had loaded animals in Spain, and nine had loaded in Romania earlier this month, according to NGO Animals International.
Gerit Weidinger, EU coordinator for Animals International, said data from marine tracking websites revealed that Unimar left Spain on March 15 tied for Jeddah. The Omega star left Spain, she said, on March 16 for Port Said.
There were no immediate welfare concerns for the animals, but if the Ever Given needs to be discounted to make it easier to release, cranes could be used to deliver enough vessels. weeks away and the surrounding ships had to leave and find other routes longer.
The nearby Said and Suez ports can be used to reload fodder if supplies run low, although the process may not be easy with so many vessels in the queue.
Thousands of cattle have already been slaughtered this year due to delays at sea.
Two vessels, the Karim Allah and the Elbeik, had to spend months away from the port as their original destination refused to accept the animals due to a controversy in a health paper that raised fears that the cattle could be carrying the blue cattle disease. The controversy rejected a series of incidents that saw the two ships eventually return to Spain.
The animals on board the ships returned in poor condition and were ordered to be killed by the Spanish authorities in the port of Cartagena. More than 850 cattle aboard the Karim Allah were slaughtered earlier in March, and Elbeik’s slaughter continues with an estimated 360 of the nearly 1,800 who started the trip that ended Thursday.
Weidinger said she was concerned that if the crisis came long animal welfare could be an issue.
“My biggest fear is that animals run out of food and water and get caught on the vessels because they can’t be loaded elsewhere for paper purposes. , “she said.
“Getting on board is a risk [for the animals] with hunger, lack of water, injury, garbage accumulating so they can’t lie down, and the team can’t get rid of the bodies of dead animals in the [Suez] canal. It’s basically a biohazard timer for animals and the team and anyone involved, “she said.
Asked about the ships with Spanish livestock stock on board, the Spanish ministry of agriculture said on Thursday: “We can tell you nothing about these vessels, except for the obstruction of the Suez Canal as a result of the cargo ship, the The administration has issued orders that animal transport vessels bound for Saudi Arabia and Jordan should not be loaded until the canal is navigated normally. ”
Roman agricultural authorities and a physician have not yet commented.
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