An open letter sent to the EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, cosigned by several NGOs expresses deep concern regarding the latest alarming events surrounding the livestock vessel Express M with around 2,400 cattle and 460 sheep on board.
Shortly after departure, the vessel Express M stopped and remained at anchor until 25 February, before resuming its journey at an abnormally slow speed of 3–4 knots, significantly below its normal sailing speed of at least 10 knots. On Thursday, 27 February, the vessel unexpectedly changed course, before altering its route again towards the Bosphorus Strait.
Upon reaching the strait, the vessel again went to anchor on 28 February where it remained stationary until 3 March. By that time, the animals had already been at sea for 9 days, far exceeding the expected journey duration of 5–6 day, raising serious concerns about feed shortages.
The Romanian authorities were alerted, and we were informed that the vessel had encountered engine failure. The captain was initially instructed to return to Romania but chose to continue the voyage, claiming the issue had been resolved.
Although the vessel supposedly took on additional feed while anchored off Istanbul, the two boats seen supplying the vessel were too small to have carried sufficient provisions for the extended journey. Furthermore, given the originally planned short duration of transport, it is unlikely that sufficient sawdust was available on board to maintain proper hygiene in the animal pens, which must have been heavily soiled after so many days at sea.
Moreover, the vessel went to anchor for a third time on 4 March, remaining there for 20 hours before resuming its voyage at a slow speed of 6–7 knots. The animals finally arrived at Haifa port on 9 March after an exhausting 15 days at sea. The repeated slow sailing and prolonged anchoring significantly extended the journey, undoubtedly compromising the health and welfare of the animals on board.
According to the letter the Express M is an ageing vessel, built in 1983, with a history of significant deficiencies. In April 2018, the vessel was detained in Tarragona in Spain for five days after 4,000 lambs and 1,700 calves had been loaded. Reports from passing vessels described strong odours emanating from the ship.
Furthermore, there are doubts if this vessel has a valid EU certificate to transport animals due to some unclarities from the competent authorities in charge. It is also noteworthy that Express M operates under the flag of Panama, which is classified as a grey flag by the Paris MoU, highlighting the high-risk nature of vessels operating under such registries.
This incident reinforces the urgent need for the revised transport regulation to prohibit the use of vessels operating under both black and grey-listed flags, given the substantial risks they pose to animals, crew, and the environment.
The NGOs highlight that this latest incident once again demonstrates the inherent risks of live animal transport by sea.
We call on the Commission to prioritise this objective in the ongoing revision of the Transport Regulation, ensuring that such unacceptable incidents are no longer permitted within the EU.
The signatories of the letter include:
Eurogroup for Animals, Ethical Farming Ireland, Animal Welfare Foundation e.V., Dierenbescherming, Lega Anti Vivisezione, Djurskyddet Sverige, Project 1882, Society for Animals, CZ La Fondation Droit Animal, Eyes on Animals, Welfarm, Animal Protection Denmark, Essere Animali, Deutscher Tierschutzbund, Fondation Brigitte Bardot, FOUR PAWS, Sloboda Zvierat, Compassion in World Farming EU, Observatorio De Bienestar Animal
