Dozens of animals already dead Ship with almost 4,000 cattle on board has been drifting in the sea for weeks
A cattle transporter with thousands of cattle from Uruguay has been stuck at sea for weeks. The ship was not allowed to dock in Turkey due to missing papers.
18.11.2025, 11:19
18.11.2025, 15:58
SDA
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- Animal rights activists are raising the alarm about 4000 cattle on the ship Spiridon II.
- It was not allowed to unload in Turkey and will now probably return to Uruguay.
- The conditions on board are extreme, many of the animals are sick, pregnant or dead.
Animal rights activists believe that thousands of cattle from Uruguay are threatened with death on board a livestock transport ship. The boat Spiridon II, which set sail two months ago, is apparently on its way back to Montevideo after being rejected by Turkey, according to the ship tracking service MarineTraffic. This has not been officially confirmed.
The cattle transport with almost 4,000 cattle had spent several weeks off the Turkish coast after its long journey and was not allowed to unload in Turkey due to a lack of documents, among other reasons, according to the country's communications directorate.
"Assume that the ship will arrive empty"
"If the ship really returns to Uruguay as stated, we assume that the ship will arrive empty," the German animal welfare organization Animal Welfare Foundation told dpa.
"The animals have been standing in their own excrement for months and the ammonia levels are extremely high, especially on the lower floors." Around half of the almost 3,000 animals are pregnant. Under such stress, miscarriages are likely. It is very unlikely that newborn calves would survive in such a situation.
Another problem is the lack of milking equipment on board and a crew that is not trained for such situations. The cows whose calves died would sooner or later develop mastitis.
Animals on board the ship for months
According to the organization, the cattle transport ship arrived off the coast of the Turkish city of Bandirma in the Sea of Marmara on 22 October. According to the Turkish Communications Directorate, 15 companies had applied to import the animals. However, because chips or ear tags were missing and some animals did not match previously submitted lists, this was rejected.
During an examination on board, it was found that 140 of the animals had given birth to calves during the journey, opposition politician Turhan Cömez quoted from court documents. 90 of the calves could not be found. Dozens of animals had already died on the long journey to Turkey.
At the beginning of last week, the ship was allowed to dock briefly in Turkey. Pictures showed hay bales being loaded onto the ship. However, according to the Animal Welfare Foundation, this is unlikely to be enough for the long return journey.
