At least 20 ships stranded in the Suez Canal blockade are carrying animals – raising animal safety concerns on the fourth consecutive day of blocked maritime traffic, according to a report on Friday.
Ships heading to the farm – some of which were loaded in Spain and Romania weeks ago – “all appear to be stranded at various points along the canal,” a spokesman for Marine Traffic told The Guardian. and other sources.
“My biggest fear is that animals run out of food and water and get stuck on ships because they can’t be unloaded elsewhere for paper reasons,” said Gerit Weidinger, the European Union’s coordinator for Animals International.
“It’s basically a life-threatening time bomb for animals, crews and anyone involved,” she said.
Floating farms have been blocked since the 1,300-foot-long Ever Give was built diagonally into the canal near Egypt on Monday.
About 200 ships – a Russian warship, bulk carriers and tanks between them – are still waiting to be released from the congested waterway.
Officials said there were no concerns about the animals’ immediate welfare, but Weidinger feared they would die if the journey was delayed much longer.
“Locking on board means that there is a risk of starvation, dehydration, injury, accumulation of debris, so that it cannot spread and the crew cannot escape the bodies of dead animals from [Suez] channel, ”she said.
Among the blocked animal ships are Omega Star and Unimar, which left Spain in mid-March, according to the press, which did not specify what kind of animals are on board.
Five of the ships raised animals in Spain, and nine loaded them in Romania earlier this month, according to NGOs Animals International.
Spanish officials said on Thursday they had stopped transporting animals to areas where access to the canal is essential.
“We can’t tell you anything about these ships, but due to the blockade of the Suez Canal due to the grounding of the cargo ship, the Spanish administration ordered that no animal transport vessels bound for Saudi Arabia and Jordan be loaded until the canal can be navigated normally, “said a representative of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture.
Romanian agriculture officials have not returned a request for comment, according to the press