Livestock vessel sinks
Rescued crew member reports the GULF LIVESTOCK capsized and sunk in the East China Sea.
The GULF LIVESTOCK is a Panamanian flagged livestock carrier that was transporting 5,800 breeding cattle from the Port of Napier, New Zealand, to the Port of Jintang, which is part of the Tangshan port complex in Hebei, Northern China.
On its way the vessel was struck by Typhoon Maysak, and reportedly lost power. It sent a distress signal from a location 180km west of the Japanese Amami archipelago early in the morning of 2 September, Japanese time.
Incredibly, the Japanese Coast Guard rescued a Filipino seafarer from the sea, who reported that the vessel had sunk when it was hit by a large wave. The vessel had a crew of 43, including two stockmen from New Zealand who were responsible for monitoring animal health during the voyage.
The transport of livestock by ship is a controversial practice. New Zealand ended livestock shipping for meat processing in 2008, but still allows shipments of breeding stock, exporting 23,497 cattle in the year to June 2019. The majority of live cattle exports are to China.
In 2019 the Ministry for Primary Industries commenced the public consultation process as part of a Livestock Export Review, where one of the options is a total ban on livestock export. The loss of the Gulf Livestock will add to public calls for such a ban.
Typhoon Maysak hit the Korean Peninsula on 3 September, with 170km/h winds causing flooding, power outages and damage in Busan.
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