3,000 cattle and sheep stuck for two weeks on ship with engine failure
Once again, thousands of animals have suffered greatly while being transported by sea. The Express M vessel experienced a serious engine problem, causing the already long journey from Romania to Israel to take 15 days instead of the estimated 5–6 days. In a letter, Project 1882 reminded the European Commission that live animal exports must be ended once and for all.
The vessel Express M left Midia, Romania for Haifa, Israel on Sunday 22 of February. The ship was carrying approximately 2,400 cattle and 460 sheep. Shortly after leaving the port, the vessel stopped and remained at anchor until Tuesday 25 February, when it resumed its journey at a much slower speed than normal. On 28 February the ship stopped again and remained at anchor until 3 March, even though it had suffered engine failure it remained the journey. It is presumed the vessel was not loaded with enough feed and litter to ensure the welfare of the animals during this extended journey. The animals finally arrived at the port of Haifa on 9 March after an exhausting 15-day journey. Nearly 3,000 animals had been stuck at sea in unacceptable conditions and were subjected to severe suffering.
This is the latest incident of many, highlighting the inevitable risks of transporting live animals by sea. In a letter signed by Project 1882 and 18 other organizations, the European Commission and Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, are urged to take immediate action by:
- Contacting the Romanian authorities to find out why the vessel was not ordered to return when the engine failure was first reported. The decision to continue the journey despite serious problems was careless and should not have been allowed. In addition, Express M must have its certificate of approval, if it has one, and withdraw it immediately to prevent the risk of further animal suffering.
- Prioritize ending animal transport by sea in the ongoing review of the EU Animal Transport Regulation.
– Thousands of animals being transported for weeks or months at sea is unacceptable. Therefore, we urge politicians to act strongly to prevent this from happening again, says Benny Andersson, CEO of Project 1882.
In December 2023, the European Commission presented a proposal for new animal transport rules. The work on these new transport regulations is ongoing and are currently at an important stage. The European Council of Ministers and the European Parliament's TRAN, AGRI and PECH committees are all involved in working on the proposal.
Project 1882 calls for:
- A ban on the export of live animals to non-EU countries.
- Shorter transport times. Maximum 8 hours of transport time, regardless of whether the transport is for slaughter or for other purposes, and shorter journeys for certain categories of animals.
- Provisions leading to restrictions on animal transport. The transport of live animals must be replaced by the transport of meat and genetic material. An action plan is needed to realise this transition at the EU level.
- A review clause in the new transport regulation, allows the European Commission to assess progress and propose improvements.
- Stronger animal welfare rules for the transport of aquatic animals.
- More space for animals during transport.
- Stronger protection for particularly vulnerable animals during transport, such as young animals, pregnant animals and so-called end-of-life animals (those animals transported for slaughter after they are no longer considered profitable for production) such as hens, sows and cows.
- Stricter requirements for temperature and humidity controls during transport.
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