The livestock carrier Spiridon II has been in quarantine near Band?rma, Turkey, for 54 days after leaving Uruguay. The ship has around 2,853 cattle and 20 crew members on board, leading animal welfare advocates to describe it as a humanitarian and animal welfare crisis.
This 52-year-old ship, which used to be a Russian cargo vessel, was converted into a livestock transport in 2011. It sailed from Montevideo on September 19, carrying 2,900 heifers, some of which may be pregnant, heading for Turkey. Turkish veterinary authorities have not allowed the animals to disembark due to issues with ear tags that verify their origin and health status.
Reports indicate that at least 48 cattle have died during the prolonged journey. Footage from the Animal Welfare Foundation and Animal Save Movement Turkey shows what appear to be carcasses stored in large bags on the deck. Additional feed was loaded onto the upper deck on November 9, after which the vessel was moved further away from the port to continue waiting offshore.
The ship sails under the flag of Togo, which is listed on the black list maintained by the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, and it is managed by a company based in Honduras.
Welfare groups have highlighted Spiridon II's troubled history, noting it has been detained nine times since 2009. Inspections at ports since 2019 have pointed out over 150 problems related to working conditions, pollution control, life-saving equipment, fire safety, navigation safety, and the ship's structural condition. The latest inspections found 10 issues in Piraeus, Greece, in August 2024, along with more deficiencies in Beirut, Lebanon, in October 2024 and July 2025.
Despite its poor condition, the Spiridon II was approved by the European Union’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety and has been transporting livestock between European ports and destinations in North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean until at least mid-2024, although its current situation is unclear due to EU transparency limitations.
Discussions are reportedly taking place to extend the journey and deliver the surviving animals to Ukraine instead, but the outcome is still uncertain.