Update: 21/7/19 2300hrs GMT.

 

The Al Shuwaikh has now docked in Jeddah port tonight (2330hrs local).

Why ? – A ‘Route Plan’ has to be submitted under EU Regulations BEFORE the shipment can take place.  So did the Romanian approved Route Plan always declare Jeddah as the final destination ?, and the ship was simply to return to home base of Kuwait EMPTY from there ?

Now we need to check out the formal Romanian Route Plan to see what the sheep’s final destination actually was – Saudi Arabia or Kuwait ?

The AK could set sail from Jeddah in the next few days, but it does not mean the sheep are on board – it could be returning home empty to Kuwait.

Only the Route Plan approved by the Romanian authorities will declare exactly what the final destination of the sheep was to be.  It could have been Jeddah.

So does this from the EU Commissioner make any sense:

Ref https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/australia-has-stopped-live-transport-during-high-temperatures-lets-not-lag-behind-commissioner-andriukaitis

 

Commissioner Andriukaitis’ said only:

On the subject of this weekend’s decision by Romania to go ahead with the transport of 70,000 sheep from Romania to the Persian Gulf, Commissioner Andriukaitis said that the Commission is investigating the issue and that “infringement proceedings against Romania cannot be excluded at this time”.

He said ‘Persian Gulf’ but the plan could have said Saudi Arabia (Jeddah), not Kuwait.  The East of Saudi is in the Persian Gulf; so ‘Persian Gulf’ could have actually meant ‘Saudi Arabia’.

But also, the question is – how many sheep have perished under the shipment conditions ?

The Romanians SHOULD have taken the temperatures for the sheep on the journey into account when they were looking at the submitted (but not approved at the time – Route Plan) in ADVANCE of the shipment.  Did they ?

We will get the Route Plan in some way now and check out what is says.

Regards Mark

 

 

 

 

Romanian Sheep shipping news – 21/7/19.

Date – 21/7/19 – 10-50hrs GMT

We are tracking the vessel.

Things seem a little odd with this.

From what we can find out, the Al Shuwaikh is still sailing for Kuwait; with its arrival date now set at an ETA of 2/8/19.

But as of 10-50hrs GMT today, 21/7/19; she is still way up in the Red Sea; just to the East of the port of Jeddah / (near Mecca) in Saudi Arabia. The speed of the vessel over recent times has been between 0.2 and 1.5 knots.

 

Above – the planned route to Kuwait.

 

So, we ask, what is happening ? – are there mechanical issues ? – has ‘Kuwait’ as a destination suddenly changed to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia ? – yet the vessel is still scheduled to arrive in Kuwait on 2/8.

0.2 -1.5 knots is not exactly racing along; so why the slow speed ?

With a cargo of 70,000 live sheep travelling under such extreme conditions; and with temperatures in the area at around 40 degrees, would the vessel not be trying to get to Kuwait as fast as it could ?

We think there are problems, as there have been with many of these livestock vessels in the past.

Unfortunately we cannot prove this at present, but this ship has been in the Red Sea for a few days now; and that is not really a great distance to travel.

 

More news to come if we can track with further updates;

For the Sheep

Regards Mark – WAV.