Nearly 3,000 heads of cattle from Uruguay were detained for three weeks on a cargo ship off the coast of Turkey due to a lack of sufficient health and commercial certificates, Turkish authorities said on Wednesday. The cargo ship “Spyridon 2”, which left Montevideo on September 19, has been docked in the port of Bandirma (western Turkey) since October 21, according to what the Turkish government media service told AFP on Wednesday.
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At least 48 animals died after more than 50 days at sea, according to several Turkish NGOs and Turkish media.
The government explained in a statement that “an import request was submitted on October 21 to the veterinary checkpoint in the port of Bandirma for the entry of 2,901 heads of cattle from Uruguay on behalf of 15 companies.” “The inspection revealed that some of the animals did not have identification tags or electronic chips, and that 469 of them did not match the lists provided. Due to these violations, the cargo was banned from entering the country, and the word ‘rejected’ was added to the 15 defective certificates.”
The decision was communicated to the customs authorities on October 23. Since leaving Uruguay on September 19, cows, whose health has deteriorated, have remained trapped on board the ship, according to several NGOs, who also highlighted the ship’s deplorable conditions. According to the Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF), which is demanding the immediate release of the animals, 48 animals have died as of last week.
The foundation wrote on its website: “We did not notice any live or dead animals being disembarked. This means that approximately 3,000 animals remained on board the ship for 53 days.”
According to AWF and French NGO Robin des Bois, the shipment was destined for markets in Türkiye and the Middle East, including Israel. The ship docked briefly on Sunday at the port of Bandirma to load hay and fodder, AWF said. Turkish media, such as HarberDenizde, reported a foul odor coming from the ship.
The exporters object to the decision of the Turkish veterinary authorities and have taken legal measures, according to the government. The NGO Robin de Bois highlights that the Spiridon II, an old Russian cargo ship converted into a livestock ship in 2011, is 52 years old and “should have been decommissioned at least two decades ago.” The ship sails under the flag of Togo and its operator is registered in Honduras.
The NGO noted that “Togo is on the blacklist of the Paris Memorandum on Port State Control of Ships,” an international agreement aimed at improving maritime security and control.
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