67,000 sheep stranded on ship bound for Qatar
By timebandit •
67,000 sheep stranded on ship bound for Qatar |
||
A live animal export ship destined for Qatar has been stranded at Port Adelaide with 67,000 sheep on board for more than a week because of engine failure, The Australian newspaper has reported. The vessel, which has a history of high animal mortality rates during transit, loaded 67,000 sheep on August 8. It sailed the next day but the Australian Maritime Safety Authority ordered it to return to harbour after its engines broke down. Flinders Port chief executive Vincent Tremaine said he was uncomfortable with animals being left on a vessel for longer than necessary and the sheep might have to be unloaded to a feedlot. “I’m not sure if even those on the ship are aware of how long it will take,” Tremaine said. RSPCA Australia chief executive Heather Neil said the incident highlighted the risks involved in transporting animals by sea, which the live export industry had not been able to address. The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service said it did not know if any sheep had died since being loaded on to the Kuwaiti-registered Al Messilah in Adelaide and Victoria’s Portland. “The sheep on board are healthy, have good access to feed and water and are being monitored by an AQIS-approved veterinarian,” a quarantine spokeswoman said. AQIS said the breakdown had not affected the ventilation, feed and water systems. Animal rights groups are concerned for the welfare of the sheep and referred to the chequered history of the live export ship. The al-Messilah, a 30-year-old former car transporter, was investigated by AQIS in 2006 after the Kuwaiti shipping company reported a high mortality rate of Australian livestock. A total of 1,683 out of 71,309 sheep died during a marathon 24-day journey from Tasmania to four Middle Eastern ports. Animals Australia executive director Glenys Oogjes said the mortality report pointed to starvation and disease as causes of the deaths. She said the al-Messilah was also investigated in 2002 when 2173 of the 74,985 sheep on board died during transit. |
| Send Article |  |
Print Article |  |
Qatar-bound sheep offloaded at AdelaideSheep being unloaded at Outer Harbour, Port Adelaide. PICTURE: Morne De Klerk; AdelaideNowAll 67,000 sheep aboard the Qatar-bound transport ship Al Messilah have been offloaded in Port Adelaide. The vessel returned to port last Friday after breaking down at sea.The sheep have been moved to a feedlot in Dublin, north of Adelaide, approved by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday.More than 200 sheep died after the ship experienced mechanical failure less than a day after its departure.The offloaded sheep will be held under strict quarantine conditions until they reboard the ship.The federal agriculture, fisheries and forestry department said the welfare of the sheep is being given the highest priority.ABC News reported that a fleet of seven trucks shuttled back and forth from the dock to move the sheep to feedlots north of the city.Acting Australian chief veterinary officer, Mark Schipp, said 260 sheep had died on board but added the number was within the 2% permitted by industry guidelines.The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) said inspectors were allowed to watch the off-loading operation yesterday morning.The sheep will wait at the feedlots until a ship is sent from Fremantle to collect them later this month.Trucking company Calomba Transport has been contracted to move some of the animals.Spokeswoman Janet Jenkins says the animals are being well-looked after. “The sheep are in great condition. Everybody just understands that the ship and the sheep are prepped to do an eight-week plus journey to get to their final destination so eight days is nothing,” she said.Send ArticlePrint Article
yes jjj75 yep UK banned it many years ago.
Australia cannot afford to do that as much of the export go to Muslim Countries I suppose..
This is nothing less than animal cruelty - I am surprised at the Australians allowing this - transporting live animals from the UK was banned some time ago
Mutton supply ‘unaffected’ by sheep ship’s strandingRetail supply of mutton in Qatar is unlikely to be affected on account of a Qatar-bound live animal export ship being stranded at Port Adelaide, Australia, a local trade source has said.Gulf Times had reported yesterday that the vessel with 67,000 sheep on board was stuck for more than a week because of engine failure.Latest reports from The Australian newspaper have revealed that hundreds of sheep are believed to have died as they wait to be unloaded temporarily and sent to feedlots from this afternoon.“The retail chain in Qatar receives regular supplies of chilled meat and not live animals,” said Mohamed Althaf, regional director of Emke Group, which operates LuLu Hypermarkets.“For instance, we receive supplies of chilled meat every 40 days from multiple sources such as New Zealand, India and Pakistan,” he explained.It is understood that live sheep exports are for Mawashi, the Qatari Meat and Livestock Company, which has dedicated facilities for slaughter and meat distribution. The Australian newspaper quoted South Australian Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Michael O’Brien saying it would take at least two days to unload the 67,000 sheep aboard the Al Messilah, and the animals to be taken to a feedlot at Dublin, north of Adelaide.“There have been a small number (of deaths) and a number that is well within the guidelines for animals being on a vessel for that period of time,” O’Brien said.Industry groups and animal rights activists have questioned whether the Al Messilah, built to carry cars, should have ever been allowed to transport live animals.The ship has been investigated three times for its high sheep mortality rate and inability to process effluent.Sources have told The Australian the Kuwaiti-registered ship broke down because sheep urine leaked through the floor and damaged electrical conductors in the engine room.Animals Australia executive director Glenys Oogjes said the carrier was “inherently a bad ship”.“It is fully enclosed and it is old; it’s not at all surprising that it’s having problems and affecting the sheep,” she observed.“Many more will die because of this malfunction and the unloading and reloading will add significantly to their stress levels,” Oogjes added.The 31-year-old ship left Port Adelaide on August 9 before engine problems forced it to return for repairs.The sheep’s owners, Perth-based Emanuel Exports, would not comment on their future.Flinders Ports chief executive Vincent Tremaine said a second Kuwaiti-registered ship, the Al Shuwaikh, would travel to South Australia from Fremantle to reload the sheep late next week before taking them to Qatar.“The ship is going to be repaired so it’s seaworthy and then taken on to Singapore for further repairs,” Tremaine said.Up to 100 people protested at Outer Harbour yesterday, calling for the sheep to be processed in Australia and for an end to live animal exports.Send ArticlePrint Article
This is exactly why the UK banned the export/transport of livestock likes this - causes much distress to the animals - takes ages to get them here and alot of them die enroute. Not good for us either - quality of the meat, as a result, is often quite poor.
fish feed ! There gonna be loads of overweight fish around....;)
Poor sheep, they will be eaten by the hungry here in Qatar one way or they other.An Aussie Sheep story. Born and bred in the vast acres of open land in south Australia, so you can say that they have a happy early life.Then when they are old enough they are transported on week long trip to the middleast and other countries only to be slaughtered and eaten by the mutton loving people.
i hope the the sheeps will be alive when they reach here!!!!
good food for thought, but somepeople never feed their thoughts!
I hope someone feeds the poor people in Somalia!
i hope someone is feeding the poor sheep.
Big Deal
Apparently the sale of Wellington Boots in Adelaide has seen a marked increase..
Face palm
and I predict decline in the friendSHEEP requests....:(
I predict a rise in the cost of mutton.