A fire broke out on the Panama-flagged livestock carrier North Star 1 while it was docked at the Port of São Sebastião, Brazil, on 3 March.Some of the 28 crew onboard required
A fire broke out on the Panama-flagged livestock carrier North Star 1 while it was docked at the Port of São Sebastião, Brazil, on 3 March.
Some of the 28 crew onboard required medical attention due to smoke inhalation, and the 2,600 cattle onboard, destined for Turkey, were disembarked.
The fire was reported to have started in a provisions store containing livestock fodder.
“The incident is a strong reminder of the dangers of fire at sea, and especially the risks of fire on livestock carriers where there is no safe way to evacuate the animals should a fire break out and get out of control at sea,” says Australian veterinarian Dr Lynn Simpson. “If this happens the animals simply die horribly from being burned alive whilst trapped in their pens, as has happened to well over a 100,000 in the not-so-distant past.”
Livestock carriers do not carry life preserving equipment for the animals onboard beyond hoses, says Simpson. “When things go badly and the crew need to evacuate the animals are all left onboard to perish. The ‘lucky’ ones die first.
“During my decade of sailing on livestock carriers as a veterinarian I was surprised how often the fire alarm
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