40 Crew And 6000 Cows Feared Drowned As Yet Another Panama-Flagged Ship Breaks Apart

In the third major incident involving a Panama-flagged vessel in a month, 40 crew were feared drowned when their large ship, the Gulf Livestock 1 sunk on Wednesday 2 September. By Friday, a third survivor had been found.

The vessel had been caught up in Typhoon Maysak off the coast of Japan when travelling between New Zealand and China. Rescued members described a loss of propulsion in the storm amid reports that the vessel had a track record of engine troubles.

Three survivors have now been rescued from tough, stormy conditions. The first survivor had been visibly distressed upon learning he may be the only survivor. A second had survived in a life raft following some very challenging weather conditions, and the third was found on Friday after being spotted by Japanese search and rescue plane.

The Japanese coastguard said on Friday that three vessels, four planes and two divers were taking part in the search for the 40 crew members who are still missing.

Cargo of live animals

The Gulf Livestock 1 ship was carrying 5867 cows for breeding in China. In images that shocked animal rights campaigners, New Zealand has immediately announced the suspension of all livestock transfers by ship.

The New Zealand’s leading animal rights charity, SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation) said the tragedy demonstrated the risks of the live animal export trade. “These cows should never have been at sea,” said SAFE’s campaigns manager, Marianne Macdonald. “This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue.”

A statement from New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), which governs exports, said it had “temporarily suspended consideration of cattle livestock export applications after a vessel transporting stock from New Zealand to China went missing off the coast of Japan. MPI wants to understand what happened on the sailing of the Gulf Livestock 1.”

Panama registration and a poor safety record

A spokesperson from New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that the Gulf Livestock 1, registered under a Panama flag, is owned by Gulf Navigation Holding, based in the United Arab Emirates and that it left Napier in New Zealand on 14 August and was bound for Jingtang in Tangshan, China, on a journey that should have taken 17 days.

A spokesperson for the European Maritime Safety Agency said the Gulf Livestock 1 was built in 2002, is 18 years old and has often been inspecting. The spokesperson said that although “deficiencies were found almost every time, it was only detained once on 22 May 2019 in Australia.”

This comes as a second, potentially larger, Typhoon Haisen now passes through the same area of the Gulf Livestock 1 sinking, making the search operation more complicated.

Panama ship jurisdiction faces more safety questions

This incident comes in the same week as an oil supertanker is on fire and drifting out of control off the coast of Sri Lanka. The Panama-flagged MT New Diamond, contains over 2 million barrels of oil, and would be a major ecological disaster if that oil was to leak.

Last month, the Panama flagged Wakashio had hit one of Mauritius’ largest coral reefs and spilled oil amid a set of important and internationally protected natural reserves. Panama’s handling of the situation has raised questions in Mauritius, where statements were issued by Panama Maritime Authority as the Flag State – who is responsible for vessel safety – that incorrectly stated facts about the vessel navigation and crew control, even when stories had already been published in Forbes revealing that this could not have been the case.

As Panama authorities make their way to Mauritius, there have been calls for an international investigation amid concerns that officials may wish to cover up any embarrassment over their handling of the Wakashio affair.

The new cattle ship sinking comes as the fifth major shipping incident in the past two months. Venezuela’s Morrocoy National Park suffered a major oil spill in July and August, which the Government had tried to cover and keep environmental groups from reporting on.

The entire Red Sea region remains on edge as an aging and abandoned Yemeni oil tanker starts to break apart, risking over 1 million barrels of oil in some of the most pristine corals and unique marine life in the world, around the Red Sea. Over 150 million could be at risk.

On 4 August, the world was shocked seeing the impact of a massive explosion that destroyed Beirut Port, due to cargo originating from a Moldovan-flagged, but Russian owned vessel.

This spate of accidents in recent weeks, have shone the light on the poor safety record of the shipping industry, and how ‘Flags of Convenience,’ under which half of global shipping is registered, allows ship owners to operate with lower safety standards, often leaving taxpayers in poorer countries to be responsible for any cleanup or repairs following a major shipping incident.

Ship safety and sustainability incidents mapped

These shipping incidents have been visualized on a map by Mauritian Conservation Biologist and map storyteller, Veronique Couttee. In her story map using ArcGIS and entitled, A Global Outcry From Communities Seeking Ocean Justice, Veronique highlights several of the most important safety and sustainability challenges in the global shipping industry, from fuels that are used, conduct on the ocean to the end of life of vessels.

Such is the state of the shipping industry, that even The Pope, Sir Richard Branson and 300 year old maritime intelligence firm Lloyds List have been calling for a big changes to global shipping, including more ethical business practices.

One thing is certain, if G20 leaders were previously able to take action on tax havens, climate change and ocean pollution at meetings in the past decade, reforming global shipping should be within their capabilities too. 

This latest accident involving a ship using a ‘flag of convenience’ shows that the industry cannot be trusted to regulate itself.