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The race begins before a second typhoon expected to carry out a new search in the area where a cattle boat with 43 people on board, including two kiwis, disappeared off the coast of Japan.
Gulf Livestock 1 left Napier on August 14 with around 5,800 head of cattle and headed for the Jingtang port in Tangshan, China, when it encountered Typhoon Maysak.
The strong winds and torrential rains linked to that typhoon have already hampered search efforts, and now another typhoon is on the way.
Japanese Coast Guard
The Japan Coast Guard rescues a person who was found in the water after his ship, Gulf Livestock 1, got into trouble.
In a statement, the Japan Coast Guard said it was “launching a second search and rescue mission before the expected typhoon,” RNZ reported.
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Two Australians were also on board the ship. One of them was 25-year-old Queensland vet Lukas Orda, who is married with a six-month-old baby, the Sydney morning herald reported.
Gulf Livestock 1 lost an engine during the first storm. It sent a distress signal around 1.40 a.m. Japanese time Wednesday from about 185 kilometers west of Amami Oshima Island, before it was apparently hit by a wave and capsized.
The ship is believed to have a history of engine problems, Safe New Zealand reports.
“During a trip in July 2019, the cattle boat was adrift for 25 hours while undergoing repairs following an engine failure,” said a spokesperson for Safe.
The company that exports the cattle, Australasian Global Exports was reprimanded by the Australian Department of Agriculture in July 2020, following an alleged manipulation of the ear tags on cows infected with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR).
A second cattle ship, the Yangtza Harmony, sailed from New Plymouth on August 19 and is also currently in the East China Sea.
We believe there are 5,700 cows on board that are being transported to Qingdao, China.
A spokeswoman for the port of Taranaki declined to comment on the ship.
Manuel Hernández Lafuente / Supplied
The Gulf Livestock 1, a Panama registered freighter, was built in 2002.
The Japan Coast Guard responded to the distress call and managed to rescue a man, believed to be Sareno Edvardo, 45, from the Philippines.
“When it was turning over, an onboard advertisement told us to wear a life jacket,” Edvardo said, according to media reports.
“So I put on a life jacket and jumped into the sea.”
He did not see any other crew members since the time the ship sank, he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) confirmed that it was providing consular assistance to the families of the two New Zealanders on board the ship.
The Ministry of Primary Industries said it had temporarily suspended its consideration of beef export applications as a result.
“MPI wants to understand what happened while sailing the Gulf Livestock 1,” he said.
Australasian Global Exports, a licensed cattle exporter, chartered the ship.
Four of those on board were employees, while the rest were employees of the ship.
He was in contact with the families of the employees, he said.
Stuff You understand there was also a Singaporean vet on board, who has an Australian passport.
FLEETMON
Shipping data last showed the Gulf Livestock 1 vessel near Japan.
Live cattle export concerns
SAFE Campaigns Director Marianne Macdonald said the incident demonstrated the risks in the export trade of live products.
“These cows should never have been at sea. This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew members who are missing on the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue.”
In June last year, the government launched a review of the live animal export trade after hundreds of head of cattle exported from New Zealand and Australia were killed.
A spokeswoman for MPI said that before leaving Napier, a port veterinarian inspected the ship for animal welfare and disease.
There were no MPI personnel on board the ship when it disappeared, but between three and four “experienced ranchers” would have traveled with the cattle, the spokeswoman said.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said one option being considered was a conditional ban on the export of live cattle.
“The continued export of livestock can be a risk for the New Zealand brand. The time has come to rethink this area and consider whether it fits with our values as a country.”
“When animals leave New Zealand, we establish conditions that veterinarians consider world-class. But there have been incidents in recent years that highlight the fact that once animals leave New Zealand, we have a very limited capacity to ensure their well-being. when they arrive at their destination, “O’Connor said at the time.
