“Spiridon II” unloads animals in the Libyan city of Benghazi

The livestock vessel “Spiridon II”, which was stranded off the Turkish coast for more than a month after a month-long voyage from Uruguay with nearly 3,000 cattle on board, has reappeared in the Libyan city of Benghazi after three days of silence. Our team on site filmed the ship docking in the port area. According to one source on site, animal transporters loaded with animals left the port area on Sunday. Trucks can also be seen on a satellite image. This proves that at least some of the nearly 3,000 cattle from Uruguay were unloaded in Libya – a country with no functioning animal welfare and transport controls.

On Monday morning after unloading, the “Spiridon II” left the port again and is now back at sea. It is unclear whether and how many animals are still on board. The vessel last reported Egypt as its destination, having previously stated Lebanon as its destination. Whether and which of these statements are correct cannot be verified. In the meantime, the “Spiridon II” has switched off its signal again. It is possible that the vessel is attempting to confuse port state control in order to avoid being inspected. 

No veterinarian on board

We know from a reliable source in Uruguay that a veterinarian had accompanied the animals from Uruguay until their arrival in Türkiye but left the vessel in Türkiye. This means that the animals were traveling without veterinary care during the most critical phase – while the vessel was stuck in Türkiye, the signals were turned off, and it continued to Libya. 

This poses a serious risk for a ship carrying hundreds of pregnant heifers, newborn calves, and many sick or weakened animals.

Signal shutdown raises questions – suspicion of dead animals being thrown overboard

Last week, the “Spiridon II” was without an AIS signal for more than three days. On Tuesday afternoon, it switched off its signal completely off the coast of Tunisia, after previously indicating Montevideo (Uruguay) as its destination. It only reappeared on Friday evening – heading in the opposite direction, off the port of Benghazi in Libya.

Due to the prolonged signal interruptions, we assume that dead animals were thrown overboard during this phase and that the sewage accumulated over two months was illegally discharged. This would be a clear violation of the international marine protection agreement MARPOL. Dozens of animals had already died, and many calves had been born, lost, or perished. Without the possibility of unloading, cleaning, or proper carcass disposal, extreme conditions have prevailed on board for weeks.

The satellite image obtained on the morning of 23. November by the Austrian investigative team at “The Marker” shows that none of the white sacks that were still stacked on deck in Turkey were on board at the time. According to renowned marine veterinarian Dr. Lynn Simpson, this suggests that the carcasses were dumped in the Mediterranean Sea. “The vessel was probably cleaned before entering the port of Benghazi,” she says. This would also explain why our team on site did not notice any smell of manure or dead animals. 

Simpson further explains: “All of the hay that was loaded in Turkey on November 9 is gone—presumably, there is no feed left.” She says that too little hay was loaded to last for a longer period. The trucks, which can also be seen on the satellite image, are single-deck trucks that can accommodate around 30 to 35 cattle. “It is possible that they unloaded all surviving animals while the ship was in port,” Simpson said. However, this is not certain. We do not rule out the possibility that there are still cattle on board the “Spiridon II”.  

Call for international investigation and immediate halt to live animal transport by sea

“We are witnessing one of the most serious violations of animal welfare and marine conservation in recent years – and yet another example of the structural failure of the live animal trade by sea,” says Maria Boada Saña, veterinarian at AWF. “The authorities must now immediately clarify whether there are still animals on board, where the animals are being taken, and what happened during the signal shutdowns.”

We demand: 

• An immediate international investigation, in particular by WOAH (World Organization for Animal Health) and IMO (International Maritime Organization).
• A medical examination of all animals still alive, whether on board or already in Libya.
• A criminal investigation into possible MARPOL violations.
• A ban on live animal transport on the high seas, as disasters like this will continue to happen as long as such transports are still allowed. And a ban of live exports by sea in the revised EU transport regulation.  

Timeline

September 20, 2025
Departure of the “Spiridon II” from Uruguay with 2,901 cattle on board, about half of which are pregnant. A veterinarian is on board.

October 22, 2025
Arrival at the port of Bandırma in Türkiye. 

October 23, 2025
According to court documents later published by a Turkish politician, the Bandırma veterinary authority inspects the animals and finds that the ear tags of 469 cattle are legible but not listed on the import lists. Türkiye then refuses to allow the animals to be unloaded. 
According to the veterinary authorities, 58 animals had already died during the journey. 
140 pregnant heifers gave birth to calves en route. However, only 50 of these 140 calves could be found – the documents do not indicate whether they were dead or alive. 

October-November 2025
The “Spiridon II” is stuck off the Turkish coast for weeks – with no possibility of unloading. The veterinarian who boarded the vessel in Uruguay leaves the vessel. On the vessel, the conditions in which the animals are forced to endure are presumably getting worse by the day. We expect that many animals died during that time. The dead animals and excrement cannot be disposed of in the Mediterranean Sea due to marine protection agreements. This means that the animals are knee-deep in manure, and ammonia levels are high, especially on the lower decks.  

November 9, 2025
Short-term docking to load feed and water. Unloading is still not permitted. Photos and videos show mountains of white sacks on the upper deck – presumably filled with dead cattle.

November 10, 2025
The vessel is anchored again. 

November 14, 2025
The vessel sets sail and now states Montevideo (Uruguay) as its destination. Expected arrival is December 14. We assume that the animals will not survive another month on board. 

November 18, 2025
When the vessel is off the coast of Tunisia, it switches off its AIS signal. We suspect that it is now throwing the animal carcasses overboard and discharging manure. 

November 21, 2025
After more than 72 hours without a radio signal, the vessel reappears. The “Spiridon II” has turned back and is now in Libya, off the port of Benghazi.

November 22-23, 2025
On Saturday afternoon, the “Spiridon II” docks at the port of Benghazi. The AWF team hears about departing animal transporters from sources on site. A satellite image from November 23 shows trucks in front of the vessel

24. November 2025
Our team reaches the port of Benghazi and is able to film the vessel before it departs. The ship leaves Benghazi in the morning. Newly declared destination: Alexandria. It is not certain whether this is true. A satellite image shows that there are no more sacks on deck. This suggests that the dead animals were disposed of in the Mediterranean Sea. It is unclear whether there are still animals on board. The image shows that there is no more hay on deck, which could be an indication that the ship no longer has any animals on board. 

You can download the press release here. 

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