The Karim Allah ship, under the Lebanese flag, has been sailing the Mediterranean for two months with about 900 cows inside.
The ship, which left Cartagena on December 18, will dock in the same place in the next few hours after not being admitted to any other port due to an alleged disease of cattle.
Another vessel that left Tarragona in December with 1,776 cattle is in a similar situation in Cyprus.
The animal protection organizations Eurogroup for Animals (EfA) and Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) have denounced the situation: “We call on the Spanish authorities to speed up the process and guarantee access to veterinary services.
The conditions of the animals must be checked as soon as possible ”.
Until now, those responsible for the ship Karim Allah have not ordered its docking, so the official veterinary services have not yet been able to access to inspect the condition of the animals.
The ship left the port of Cartagena at the end of December and the 895 cows it was transporting were destined for Turkey, where they were to be marketed.
However, upon reaching port, the Turkish authorities refused the entry of the ship because the cattle were supposedly infected with bluetongue disease.
According to the World Organization for Animal Health, "bluetongue is a viral disease that affects domestic and wild ruminants", mainly sheep, but also cattle and goats, among others.
The disease is transmitted between animals through insect bites and does not affect humans.
The same happened with the Elbeik ship, flying the Togolese flag, which also left Tarragona in December carrying 1,776 head of cattle bound for Libya.
Arriving in Tripoli on January 10, the cows were rejected for the same reason.
Since then, the Elbeik has passed through the waters of Italy, Egypt and Cyprus.
He is currently in Famagusta (Cyprus), waiting for the Cypriot authorities to inspect him.
Before the ships set sail for Turkey, the health authorities certified the good condition of the cattle.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), the ship sailed from the port of Cartagena "with animals provided with the corresponding health certificates and from areas free of bluetongue."
"The animals were certified, the farm from which they come, the vehicle used until reaching the port," says Matilde Moro, manager of the Association of Beef Beef Producers (Asoprovac).
“At the Border Inspection Post of the Port of Cartagena, the documentation was supervised and it was found that it was in accordance with community legislation and the agreement with Turkey.
What's more, the documentation was sent to Turkey, which gave the go-ahead for both the Karim Allah and the Elbeik to set sail, ”he adds.
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Upon arrival at destination and the unloading of the cattle was rejected, a series of negotiations began between the health and diplomatic authorities of Spain and Turkey, which excuses their decision that the animals could be infected with bluetongue, even though they had all passed relevant sanitary controls.
“Both the exporters and the Ministry (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) were clear that the cattle were free of the disease, and it was proposed to Turkey that they do PCR tests to confirm that they were healthy, but the Turkish authorities declined the offer. ”, Explains Moro.
It is the first time that something similar has happened in a cattle export operation from Spain.
At the moment, it is unknown if there is another reason why the merchandise could have been rejected.
Faced with Turkey's refusal, an attempt was made to sell the livestock in Libya, but the transaction failed to close.
According to Moro, for having transcended the rumors that the animals were sick.
The ship will arrive in the next few hours
Although the Karim Allah was expected to dock in the Escombreras Dock last Tuesday, this Thursday it continues in the anchorage area, so it has not yet entered the waters of the Cartagena Port Authority.
The Ministry has confirmed this Thursday that the ship will dock in the next few hours.
According to the official statement, the captain of the ship has not responded to the request by the Ministry to "take the appropriate measures to allow the inspectors to get on the ship safely."
Therefore, and at the end of the term this Thursday at 11.00 am, the Maritime Captaincy "has prohibited the ship Karim Allah from leaving the port until the appropriate inspections and actions are carried out on the ship."
When it reaches land, Animal Health inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries will be in charge of inspecting the vessel and checking the status of the cattle.
In this sense, Moro points out that, according to his information, "the animals are fine and the casualties that have occurred are within the normal range in this type of travel."
And he warns that until official veterinarians can access the ship, the exact number of casualties cannot be known.
The fate of the animals that remain in Karim Allah is uncertain.
European legislation on exports of live animals establishes that the only possibility is to try to re-export them to another country.
If that was not achieved, says Moro, “the animals would have to be euthanized.
Something that, of course, we want to be avoided ”.
According to the manager of Asoprovac, it is not clear which party (buyer or seller) should bear the costs of the operation.
In addition, the Cartagena Port Authority is negotiating with lawyers the way to proceed to clarify who would bear the cost of slaughtering the animals, in the event that this point is reached.
The port of Cartagena remains closed to live cattle traffic until the Animal Health service can access the ship and the reasons for Turkey's refusal to accept the cattle are clarified.
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