The Spiridon II, a 52-year-old livestock carrier converted from a general cargo vessel (built 1973), has been stranded off the port of Bandırma, Turkey, since late October. Aboard are nearly 3,000 head of cattle loaded in Montevideo, Uruguay, in mid-September.
Despite completing a transatlantic voyage, the vessel was denied discharge by Turkish authorities. The root cause? Discrepancies in documentation. Reports indicate that approximately 500 cattle ear tags did not match the vessel’s manifest.
As a result, the vessel has been held at anchorage for weeks. Reports confirm that fodder and water supplies have reached critical lows, necessitating emergency resupply runs, while at least 48 animals have reportedly died on board due to the extended confinement.
This incident highlights several critical pressure points in the global supply chain:
- Documentation as a Critical Failure Point: In high-stakes perishable or live cargo logistics, a clerical error is not just an administrative hurdle – it is an operational disaster. The inability to reconcile 500 tags has jeopardized the entire cargo of 2,900+ animals.
- The “Dark Fleet” of Livestock Shipping: The Spiridon II is over half a century old and flies the flag of Togo. The reliance on aging, converted tonnage for live export continues to present significant risks regarding reliability, insurance, and seaworthiness.
- Biosecurity Rigidity vs. Operational Reality: While strict biosecurity is non-negotiable (especially for importing nations protecting their own herds), the lack of a contingency framework for “rejected” live cargo remains a glaring gap in international maritime law. When a port says “no,” these vessels effectively become floating islands with no safe harbor.
This event mirrors the Elbeik and Karim Allah incidents of 2021, suggesting that the regulatory gaps regarding rejected live cargo have not been adequately closed. For stakeholders in freight forwarding and chartering, this serves as a stark reminder of the risks inherent in moving live inventory on aging vessels to strict regulatory jurisdictions.
As the situation unfolds, the industry will be watching to see if a diplomatic or logistical solution can be found before the loss of life escalates further.