Nearly three thousand head of cattle are stranded on board the livestock transport vessel Spiridon II, which is anchored off the Turkish coast, after the Turkish authorities refused to grant permission for the animals to disembark.
At least 50 animals have died after the ship left Uruguay on September 19, and until it arrived in Turkey on October 22.
Here, an inspection on board, before the ship was granted permission to call at the port of Bandirma, revealed that the ear tags on up to 500 cattle did not match the information in the ship’s freight documents.
Ever since, the ship has been anchored off the coast, interrupted only by a single call at the port last weekend, where the ship received new supplies of water and feed for the animals.
Turkish animal rights advocates are demanding that the many animals be allowed to come ashore while the case is being investigated, but the Turkish authorities have so far refused.
The MV Spiridon was built 42 years ago and is registered in Togo.
-mauh
