Livestock carriers: The most dangerous vessels in the world
Freiburg, Paris, 26.03.2024. Currently, only 64 livestock carriers are permitted to load European animals on EU-ports to then export them to third countries. This at least 1.5 billion € worth trade is carried out on substandard and overcrowded ships. In response, the German animal welfare organization Animal Welfare Foundation e.V. (AWF) together with the French environmental organization Robin des Bois publish a comprehensive report (pdf – 8.4 Mo) on the seaworthiness, safety, environmental compatibility, and suitability for health and animal welfare of livestock carriers trading from the European Union. The figures and our film speak volumes: the transport of live animals on decrepit vessels across the sea must end immediately. At the very least, compliance with internationally binding standards is necessary. The European Union and its Commission must finally take responsibility in this process after another three years of crippling inaction.
Trouble at sea
Paris International Agricultural Show – Press release n°1
The Al Kuwait made a technical stopover in Cape Town, South Africa, on February 19 and 20, 2024. She was carrying 19,000 cattle. She had left Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on February 9, bound for Umm Qasr in Iraq. As soon as the Al Kuwait approached Cape Town, a smell of death invaded the metropolis. SCPA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) officers boarded the ship and found the animals wounded, suffering, stuck in litter and excrement. Some were already dead. Several were euthanized at the request of South African veterinarians. The corpses were not unloaded.
Le Havre Gas Terminal in its Terminal Phase
Update – September 18, 2023: Arrival of the Cape Ann in the port of Le Havre at 11:30 a.m. Exit from François 1er lock at 1:45 p.m. End of docking at Darse de l’Océan at 3 p.m. Three and a half hours – that’s how long it will take to go the other way in the event of a gas leak or fire. You can only see this in Le Havre.
Update – September 15, 2023: The Cape Ann has slowed down. Her arrival off Le Havre is now scheduled for late afternoon on Sunday September 17.
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September 13, 2023 – 5:30 p.m.
All aboard !
The Fremantle Highway caught fire around midnight on July 25, 2023 in the North Sea. She had departed Bremerhaven, Germany and was bound for Singapore. She was carrying 3783 cars, including BMWs, Mercedes and Rolls-Royces. When the fire broke out, the Fremantle Highway was in the midst of heavy maritime traffic and close to the Wadden Islands, famous for their exceptional biodiversity. The evacuation of the 23 crew members, including 21 Indians, turned out very badly (1 fatality and 7 injured). The Fremantle Highway was towed to the port of Eemshaven in the Netherlands, and docked 9 days after the blaze started. The fire has been declared extinguished, but the Fremantle Highway was carrying 498 electric cars, and cobalt and lithium battery fires can be prone to unexpected resumption.
