Rescuers are scrambling to save thousands of sheep trapped after a large cargo ship overturned in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania, reports BBC.
Cargo ship capsized
The Queen Hind capsized on Sunday after leaving the port of Midia, near the south-eastern city of Constanta.
It was carrying more than 14,000 sheep. All crew members were rescued.
An operation involving the military, police, firefighters, divers and the Romanian coastguard resumed on Monday morning after an overnight pause.
As many as six vessels in the area initially intervened to help the emergency services, Romanian media reported.
Sheep found swimming were rescued
At least 32 sheep found swimming near the Palau-flagged ship were rescued on Sunday, but many are believed to have drowned – with thousands remaining trapped.
“We have already saved a small number. They were swimming in the sea,” Ana-Maria Stoica, spokeswoman for the emergency services in Constanta, told the BBC.
Crew members saved
The crew members on board – some 20 Syrian nationals – were rescued from the vessel almost immediately. One crew member was taken to hospital with hypothermia.
“He fell into the sea but was very quickly rescued,” Ms Stoica said, adding that the rest of the crew were “all safe here in the harbour“.
It is not yet known what caused the ship, which was bound for Saudi Arabia, to capsize. An investigation will be carried out when the operation to rescue any surviving sheep and salvage the vessel is concluded, authorities say.
Sheep destined for slaughter
Pictures of the ship posted online showed it on its side, tethered to a smaller boat, with the animals’ legs and other body parts dangling out of an enclosed area.
Videos showed rescuers carrying about a dozen of the sheep in the back of another smaller boat.
It is possible the sheep were destined to be slaughtered in Saudi Arabia in accordance with Islamic guidelines known as halal, one livestock expert said. But she questioned whether there was a more humane way to procure that many sheep.
“What they’re doing on those ships I couldn’t even comprehend,” said Susan Schoenian, a sheep and goat specialist at the University of Maryland Extension.
Ms. Schoenian noted there were certified halal slaughterhouses in the European Union, which includes Romania.
“Why move live animals when you can slaughter them and move meat?” Ms. Schoenian said. “It can be certified halal. It would provide jobs for Romanians.”
Moving the sheep poses a challenge
Ms. Schoenian said transporting that many sheep was a logistical challenge, and that while the sheep’s survival instincts could have kicked in after the ship overturned, they would have most likely been weighed down in the water by their long fleece.
“The average person doesn’t understand — when you transport animals, you don’t want to pack them in like sardines,” she said. “But we also don’t want to give them too much room.”
About 70,000 sheep are exported from Romania every year, particularly to countries in North Africa and the Persian Gulf, according to an August resolution from the European Parliament calling for Romania to improve treatment of the animals.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
