The terrible, tragic situation that has happened within the last few days regarding the ‘Queen Hind’ and thousands (14,600 as far as we know) of sheep which were being exported live from Romania to the Middle East simply highlights once again the disregard that the human race has for the animal species.
Lets look at this a little more:
Out of over 14,600 animals being carried; we currently understand that only 33 animals have been rescued. The rest are feared drowned. We understand that the ship was leaving Midia port in Romania bound firstly for Libya.
The main reason for the trouble at present is that we are being told that the vessel was overloaded; which makes sense as to why it was not stable when it overturned just hundreds of meters after leaving the port.
It has also been stated that low quality crew action or inactions also contributed to the disaster. There was a crew made up entirely of 22 SYRIAN nationals; and the vessel; it was registered in Palau, a remote set of islands in the Western Pacific – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palau and it was constructed way back in 1980 – making it approx. 40 years old.
Vessel Details:
| Vessel Name | QUEEN HIND |
| Ship type | Livestock Carrier |
| Flag | Palau |
| Homeport | |
| Gross Tonnage | 3785 |
| Summer Deadweight (t) | 2154 |
| Length Overall (m) | 85 |
| Beam (m) | 14 |
| Draught (m) | |
| Year of Built | 1980 |
When the Romanians undertook the export of 70,000 live sheep recently from the very same port to the Middle East; a consignment which we tracked and reported on each day, the EU in the form of EU Commissioner (Andriukaitis) – sent a letter allegedly to the Romanian Agriculture Minister (and Minster of Rural Development of Romania) Mr Petre Daea on 10/7/19 asking him (at the time) not to allow the shipment of 70,000 live sheep to the Middle East due to the extreme temperatures – https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/08/02/2-8-19-copy-of-the-letter-from-the-eu-do-nothing-commissioner-to-the-animal-welfare-ignorant-romanian-minister/
Above – The ‘do nothing Commissioner Andriukaitis
Below – the ‘animal welfare’ ignorant Romania Minister Petre Deae
Basically, Romania, an EU member state; gave the EU Commission the 2 fingers and continued with the export consignment regardless of the fact that the animals were going to suffer in extreme heat and conditions way outside the limits set in Reg 1/2005; or the standard which nations of the EU are supposed to adhere to when transporting live animals !
Romania at the time ignored all the rules and regulations of the EU when it came to transporting live animals; and yet we (as EU citizens) are supposed to vote for MEP’s and expect that the EU Parliament actually carries some ‘clout’ in Brussels with the Commissions. Maybe we should take the EU for what it really is – CRAP.
The EU bleats on about ‘investigating’ things and looking at the situation, but even by October this year the EU had still not taken out any infringement proceedings against Romania for the shipment of the 70,000 animals – https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/10/28/eu-remember-the-romanian-sheep-to-the-middle-east-in-extreme-temperatures-the-latest-from-the-eu-but-still-no-infringement/
So what now ? – as all livestock carriers are, antiquated rust buckets converted into carriers when they have passed their ‘best by’ dates; we wait with real interest to see what the EU hierarchy will now do 1) against Romania, and 2) against the entire evil trade of live animals which goes under the banner of ‘live exports’.
This whole incident stinks of cheap and shoddy operation – from a rust bucket carrier vessel, to a cheapo and obviously inexperienced crew from Syria; to the registration of the vessel to some unknown outpost in the middle of the Pacific; to the cheapness of Romania – everything is and has been done on the cheap; and the deaths today of some 14,600 animals by drowning just goes to highlight even more the bent corruptness of this entire trade in live animals around the world.
No doubt we shall read a PR from the EU ‘Eurogroup for Animals’ promising yet more investigations and actions of an EU member state. We say, don’t hold your breath; we have been there so many times before and we all know the weasel words in reality amount to sweet FA. What happened with the ‘Queen Hind’ is an insult to intelligent, decent people; but then we are talking about the EU and the cheap, shoddy export trade which it buries its sick head into.
Shame on them all – a ‘they were going for slaughter anyway’ mentality which we experience from the industry all of the time. A gutless EU and a house full of do nothing MEP’s who ‘represent us’ but don’t have any chance of even holding the EU Commission to account. In a summary word – ‘USELESS’.
Regards Mark
In remembrance of the innocent who suffer under the greed of humankind.
World Animals Voice 