Cape Town — Capetonians can breath a sigh of relief as the Al Kuwait vessel, that was carrying 19 000 cattle on board from Brazil to Iraq, has finally left the Cape Town dock.
The vessel made it’s way to the Middle East after it docked in Cape Town over the weekend to feed the cattle on board. The vessel left a foul stench across the CBD and surrounding areas due to the amount of excess faeces and excrements that the 19 000 cattle were forced to live in.
Cape Town Port Manager, Ramesh Dana, says the docking of the vessel was done in consultation with the State Veterinarian, Port Health and the Maritime Security Coordination Centre, SABC News reported.
“Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) acknowledges the concerns surrounding the docking of the livestock carrier, Al Kuwait at the Port of Cape Town. The TNPA’s decision to allow the docking of Al Kuwait was made based on a thorough assessment of various factors and in consultation with the state veterinarian, Port Health and the Maritime Security Co-ordination Centre,” Dana said.
THE ‘BIG STINK’ LEAVES CAPE TOWN, BUT SUFFERING CONTINUES
The Al Kuwait, dubbed by activists as the “death ship”, that docked at Cape Town harbour on Sunday evening, sailed at around 4am on Wednesday to travel to Iraq after feed was loaded on the vesselhttps://t.co/JqVdsxiBti— Veve (@LudidiVelani) February 21, 2024
According to IOL, Dana said the safety and well-being of the animals were key factors in making the decision to allow the vessel to dock in Cape Town. He added that TNPA continues to monitor the situation with relevant stakeholders.
“TNPA continues to collaborate closely with the vessel agent, terminal operator, state veterinarian, Port Health, Border Management Authority and the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to monitor the well-being of the animals and manage the risk associated with the livestock vessel docked in the port.” he said.
The vessel was expected to leave on Tuesday 20 February but operations were expedited to ensure the it departed timeously.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
