LSS SUCCESS

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43 cows died in storm

The National Council of SPCA’s (NSPCA) said that 43 cattle being transported by sea aboard the 'LSS Success' have lost their lives while being shipped from the Port of East London to Mauritius. The livestock carrier sailed from East London on April 15, 2921, after loading 512 live South African cattle for slaughter in Mauritius. While sailing on the approximately 13 to 14 day voyage to Port Louis the ship encountered a storm which led to the deaths of 43 of the animals. The NSPCA approached Dr P Beeharry (the Principal Agricultural Officer in the Mauritian Ministry of Agriculture), the owner of the 'LSS Success', as well as the Mauritian importers and South African exporters for an explanation for the death of the animals, but received a single response from the Captain of the vessel stating that the vessel encountered a storm en route to Mauritius, which caused the animals to experience ‘seasickness’ and as a result of that 42 cattle had died on board the vessel. The NSPCA then made contact with the importer in Mauritius and found out that another cow was slaughtered during offloading because the animal was in terrible condition upon arrival, bringing the total mortality to 43. According to the NSPCA, seasickness and storms cannot be an acceptable reason for animals to die at sea. “For as long as live export is legal, the vessels used to conduct this atrocious act should, at the very least, be equipped to withstand storms (which regularly occur) in a manner that protects the animals from the effects of the storm.” The NSPCA says it is of the opinion that the vessel, which is 51 years old, was simply not appropriate for this voyage. “Those animals were probably crushed to death on the vessel during the storm which would have been excruciating to say the least. The bodies of these animals were thrown overboard, therefore making it impossible for experts to ascertain the exact cause of death. “The NSPCA is certainly disappointed by this incident but we are not surprised. We have stated time and time again that the export of live animals by sea is undeniably cruel for a number of reasons. The NSPCA recognises the helplessness of these sentient beings and hopes that we will be able to continue to fight for them through the support of the public.”

Unusual high number of dead cattles

43 of 512 cattles aboard the 'LSS Success' have perished during the voyage from East London to Port Louis, where it arrived on April 29, 2021. The ship left on April 30 in the morning. The bodies of the dead animals were thrown into the sea during the voyage. For the Neel Industries Ltd., which imported the animals, this high number of deaths was exceptional. During sea trips, depending on the conditions, it is possible to lose two, three or even five head of cattle, but not 43. To be able to understand the exact cause of these deaths also other details such as the exact country and place where the animals came from and what happened on the ship should have been known and a necropsy performed to be able to tell if it could have been the start of an epidemic. In such a case the rest of the herd would probably have been culled. East London is a region not affected by foot-and-mouth disease.

Drugs found in Port Louis - fiv crew arrested

Customs and drug enforcement officers found drugs on board of the 'LSS Success' on June 13, 2020 in Port Louis, Mauritius. The ship had arrived on June 13 from Cape Town and Luanda. 39 kilos of cannabis were found, including two kg of resin and one kg of paste. Five crew members were arrested, including four Indians and one Tanzanian. The ship remained berthed as of June 15.