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The “Gulf Livestock 1” misfortune not only underlines the cost pressure in shipping, but also a dark chapter: the transport of live animals. New Zealand is already reacting after the accident.
The Gulf Livestock 1 left Napier on August 14.
Sareno Edvarodo is an experienced sailor. After all, the 45-year-old Filipino achieved the position of ship’s officer on a cattle freighter in his career. But in one of the largest shipwrecks in recent history in the waters of Japan, sheer luck saved his life. After a night at sea, Japanese coast guard Edvarodo pulled out of the Pacific on Thursday. His ship, the “Gulf Livestock 1”, has so far gone missing with another 42 crew members and 5,867 cows on board. The crew – 39 Filipinos, two Australians and two New Zealanders – are likely to be the biggest casualties of Typhoon Maysak, which hit Korea on Thursday. A spokeswoman for the Japanese Coast Guard told how the sailor described the tragedy. The valuable cargo from the New Zealand grasslands was destined for consumption in China. The ship had left the port of Napier on August 14 and was scheduled to unload its cargo in Tangshan, China, on September 4.
Engine damage with fatal consequences
The route takes the 139-meter-long freighter that sails under the Panamanian flag through the chain of islands that connect Japan with Taiwan. According to the current state of knowledge, the freighter had already passed the island of Amami Oshima when an engine failed in the middle of the storm. The ship made an emergency call on Wednesday at 1:44 pm The freighter was then hit from the side by a large wave and capsized. Edvarodo jumped overboard with a life jacket. Members of the Japanese rescue helicopter crew were the next people he saw again. In terms of health, the man is fine under the circumstances, the spokeswoman said. He could walk and talk himself.
The Japan Coast Guard, assisted by naval aircraft, continued the search. Based on previous information, a search plane is said to have sighted a lifeboat. But the Coast Guard still couldn’t find it. There was also no trace of the cattle freighter until the editorial deadline.
Die “Gulf Livestock 1” am April 6, 2019 in Port Phillip.
Criticism of live meat exports grows
In addition to the dangers of shipping, the accident briefly highlights an unappetizing aspect of global supply chains: the global supply of meat. Slaughtered animals are not always shipped frozen to feed humanity. There are also live transports, as the accident shows. New Zealand, but also Australia in particular, are known for exporting live Holstein cows, other cattle, goats, sheep and horses. Australia transports around 2.8 million animals onto freighters each year, which has long been criticized by animal rights activists. “Conditions aboard live export vessels are inherently stressful and precarious for animals,” Animals Australia activists write. Rough seas, crowded conditions, extreme temperatures and high levels of ammonia due to the accumulation of waste all increase the risk of illness and injury. Additionally, more animals die offshore from salmonella-induced heat stress, hunger, inflammation, or intestinal injury than in land transport. “If animals that were transported within Australia died as many as die on export ships, cruelty charges could be brought,” say animal rights activists.
New Zealand has so far moved away from an export ban
After the massive deaths on ships in recent years, New Zealand has already significantly restricted exports, but not prevented them. According to the Animal Welfare Ordinance 2016, live animals cannot be exported for slaughter without prior approval from the Director General of the Ministry of Primary Industry (MPI), ”the New Zealand ministry announced on its website. The role of the MPI is to ensure the welfare of the animals on their journey. The animals are examined before they leave and their diet is changed from grass to dry pellet feed. Only animals intended for slaughter that veterinarians deem fit for travel may travel by sea. On board, “seasoned zookeepers” must take care of the four-legged passengers in addition to the ship’s crew. More precisely: one specialist for 1,500 cattle, two experts for 60,000 sheep. People with experience in handling animals must be on board. So at least the ministry.
The economic pressure remains enormous, said Australian veterinarian Lynn Simpson on Radio New Zealand, who has made 57 trips on cattle boats. The “Gulf Livestock 1” was apparently comparatively small. The largest freighters carry up to 20,000 animals. This meant that the risk in rough seas was already higher. Simpson now suspects that the ship did not allow the typhoon to pass due to time pressure. In shipping, risks are often taken for financial reasons.
The shipwreck could reignite the discussion about the export of live animals, at least in New Zealand. After the accident, the MPI suspended live exports until further notice. To the west of the island of Amami Oshima, the search for “Gulf Livestock 1” continues. But with each hour the chances of finding more survivors diminish. In South Korea, the typhoon has claimed two lives so far. On Monday, however, the country could be affected even more directly than this time by the 10th typhoon of the year.
