The cargo ship Spiridon II, which, after a month-long voyage from Uruguay carrying nearly 3,000 cattle, had been stranded off the Turkish coast for more than a month, has appeared in the Libyan city of Benghazi following a long radio silence.
The Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) on-site team filmed the ship docking in the port area. According to a source, livestock transport trucks left the port loaded with animals on 23 November. Trucks can also be seen in a satellite image. This suggests that at least some of the nearly 3,000 cattle from Uruguay were unloaded in Libya.
On the morning of 24 November, after unloading, the Spiridon II left the port and is now at sea again. It is unclear whether any animals remain on board and how many. The ship last declared Alexandria, Egypt, as its destination, having previously listed Lebanon. Whether any of these declarations are accurate cannot be verified. The vessel has since turned off its signal again, possibly to evade port state inspections, AWF informs.
No Veterinarian Onboard – High-Risk Care Situation
According to AWF, a reliable source in Uruguay confirmed that there had been a veterinarian on board during the voyage from Uruguay to Turkey. However, this person left the ship in Turkey, leaving the cattle without veterinary care during the most critical phase, while stranded off Turkey, during signal shutdowns, and en route to Libya.
This poses a serious risk to the hundreds of animals onboard.
Suspected disposal of dead animals
Last week, the Spiridon II traveled for more than three days without an AIS signal. On Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 18), the ship turned off its signal entirely off the Tunisian coast, after previously listing Montevideo, Uruguay, as its destination. It only reappeared on 21 November, heading in the opposite direction, off the port of Benghazi, Libya.
The AWF suspects that during this period, dead animals were thrown overboard and accumulated manure from over two months was illegally discharged, constituting a clear violation of the international marine protection agreement MARPOL.
Dozens of animals had already died earlier; many calves were born, went missing, or perished. Without unloading, cleaning, or proper carcass disposal, extreme conditions persisted on board for weeks.
A satellite image obtained by the Austrian investigative team from The Marker shows that none of the white bags previously stacked on deck in Turkey remain. Renowned ship veterinarian Dr. Lynn Simpson interprets this as evidence that carcasses were likely dumped into the Mediterranean.
“The ship was probably cleaned before entering Benghazi port,” she says, which matches AWF’s observation that the team detected no odors of manure or decomposition on site.
Simpson also notes: “All the hay loaded on Nov. 9 in Turkey is gone—there is likely no feed left.” Only a small amount had been loaded in Bandırma, insufficient for long-term survival. The trucks seen in the satellite image in Benghazi are single-deck trucks that can carry about 30–35 cattle each. “It is possible that all surviving animals were unloaded while the ship was in port,” Simpson adds. This is not certain, and AWF cannot rule out that cattle still remain on the Spiridon II.
We are witnessing one of the most serious animal and marine welfare violations in recent years—and another example of systemic failure in the live animal trade. Authorities must urgently determine whether any animals are still on board, where the remaining and unloaded animals have been taken, and what occurred during the signal shutdowns
… said Maria Boada Saña, veterinarian at AWF and TSB.
