Spiridon II: At least 340 dead animals – survivors unloaded in Libya

It was a horrific journey for 2,900 Uruguayan cattle. After a month at sea, they remained locked up on board the livestock vessel “Spiridon II” in Turkey for another 23 days due to problems with the import papers. It was a serious failure on the part of all those responsible, and as is so often the case, innocent animals were the ones who suffered.

With each passing day, they stood deeper in excrement, suffered from the growing ammonia concentration, and suffered from hunger and thirst. Fifty-eight cattle had already died during the journey from Uruguay to Turkey, and the number grew daily. While the ship was briefly allowed to dock at a feed store, mountains of white sacks, presumably filled with dead animal, lay on the deck. 

Half of the animals were pregnant, and at least 140 calves were born during the journey. The little creatures had little chance of survival on such a ship. Most of them were “untraceable” upon arrival – presumably disposed of overboard.

How we took action

As soon as we heard about the incident, our team was on the scene. At the same time, we contacted the authorities in Turkey, the EU Commission, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the maritime authorities of the surrounding countries, and put pressure on the public and the media. Our aim was to ensure that the animals were examined immediately, allowed to disembark, and that those that were sick were put out of their misery. 

But no one felt responsible. This is precisely the core problem with ship transport: responsibility goes round in circles, and in the end, no one will take it.

In cases like this, public attention is crucial. It forces those responsible to take notice – and it was precisely this visibility that we were able to achieve with the extensive media coverage. 

Thanks to our intervention, the ship was allowed to dock briefly on November 9 to reload food and water—but the animals had to remain on board.

Ship feigns return—then unloads animals in Libya

Then came the shock: the ship set sail again and wanted to return to Uruguay. The animals would not have survived another month at sea! During this time, media coverage grew even more intense. We publicly demanded that the ship be stopped immediately and explained how badly animals on board such ships must suffer after a two-month journey through hell.  

Off the coast of Tunisia, the “Spiridon II” suddenly switched off its tracking system and disappeared for three days. Then it suddenly reappeared in the opposite direction: in Benghazi (Libya). According to official figures, all of the surviving animals were unloaded there. We heard from our sources on site that 2,700 animals were taken off the vessel. 

These figures lead to a sad conclusion: over 340 animals (including at least 140 newborn calves) must have died during this horrific journey. What happened to them is unclear; we suspect that their bodies were disposed of in the Mediterranean during the radio silence.

We are tracking down the animals 

Our team found the farm in Libya where the Uruguayan cattle were presumably taken. However, due to the high walls and the dangerous location, we were unable to check on their condition. But we are not giving up and will try again. 

While we were still on site, the “Spiridon II” set sail again, presumably bound for Egypt. Once again, the ship turned off its tracking system and reappeared a few days later in Lebanon (on Thursday, November 27).

Since this was not the first time the ship had provided false information about its destination, we were prepared: one of our teams was already there and documented the ship's arrival in Beirut.

We are currently trying to find out whether there really were no animals left on board. However, it appears that no cattle were unloaded.

What happens now?

We have documented the case from the outset, informed the public and the media, and launched a campaign to get WOAH to take action. It must officially investigate this case and ensure that something like this never happens again! 

Over 6,000 people have signed the petition in just a few days. Today, we officially handed over the collected signatures. Click here to read our letter to the authority. We would like to thank everyone who signed the petition!

We strongly demand a ban on animal transport on the high seas. As long as animals are allowed to be shipped, incidents in which hundreds or even thousands of animals die will continue to occur. 

Although the animals have now apparently all been unloaded, we are not satisfied with the outcome of the case. The cattle were not kept at sea for another month, but they were sold to Libya—a country with no functioning animal welfare controls and no animal welfare standards!

We will continue to follow up on this case and document the fate of these animals. Even though this case—like all ship exports of live animals—has come to a sad end, the fate of these animals must not be in vain! Cases like this give us the right arguments to continue fighting with all our might against cruel animal transports by ship. So that one day, this terrible business will be a thing of the past.