AL MESSILAH

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Veterinary testing and examination reveiled presence of contagious ecthyma

After the 'Al Messilah' docked in East London on April 2, 2024, the NSPCA has been site to screen all animals bound for the vessel which has been loading about 60,000 sheep, 1,500 cattle and 200 goats destined for slaughter in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The vessel was expected to leave East London harbour either late on April 5 or on April 6. The NSPCA has now confirmed that through veterinary laboratory testing together with visual examination, the presence of contagious ecthyma, an infectious dermatitis of sheep and goats, which is contagious to humans too, among the animals in the feedlot. The inspectors observed lesions on the lips of numerous sheep in the feedlot, which raised suspicions of contagious ecthyma. During the course of the disease, which lasts up to four weeks, affected animals can go off feed, lose condition and may develop serious secondary infections at the lesion sites. This posed a serious concern in terms of the welfare of the animals on board the 'Al Messilah', especially those who were not yet showing clinical signs, but who could suffer on the vessel during their three-week journey. Should this shipment be rejected by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the South African government has confirmed with the NSPCA that South Africa will not be able to accept the returning animals. The NSPCA has pulled animals from the feedlot that are displaying clinical signs, although the fate of those still to show clinical signs were a serious cause for concern.

COVID-19 plagued ship will leave Austrailan waters soon

The 'Al Messilah' will leave Australian waters later this week or early next week, after about 24 crew members were cleared of COVID-19 by State health officials. The vessel had arrived in Fremantle on Oct 14, and has been moored there ever since while 36 crew members were put into hotel quarantine after COVID-19 was detected onboard. One crew member was admitted to hospital briefly, but none of the infected crew showed severe symptoms of the virus and all were in good health as of last week. Two Australians were allowed off the ship to quarantine at home, a local stockwoman from Busselton and an Australian accredited veterinarian from Sydney, after being on board for about eight months because they could not disembark at any international port due to restrictions on the movement of personnel. A skeleton crew stayed onboard while moored to oversee the daily maintenance of the vessel and prepare it for the next consignment. The 'Al Messilah' was due to take up the next available berth at Fremantle and be loaded with about 60,000 sheep and 200 cattle destined for the Persian Gulf.

Two left Al Messilah before coronavirus outbreak was revealed

The WA Premier has conceded he has known since the weekend that two Australians were allowed to disembarkfrom the 'Al Messilah' at Fremantle before a COVID-19 outbreak was detected on board. A vet from Sydney and a stock manager from Busselton in WA's South West had been on the livestock carrier for up to eight months when it docked at Fremantle last week. The pair disembarked the ship and were allowed to go home to quarantine before 25 cases of COVID-19 on board were discovered. When the ship berthed in accordance with existing protocols, they got off and went back to where they were from to quarantine. The ship itself had not at that point in time recorded or reported any COVID and obviously had been at sea for a long period of time. The revelation came as 36 crew members from the 'Al Messilah', including the additional 24 who tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct 19, were taken off the vessel and moved to hotel quarantine in Perth.