AsiaOperations

Livestock carrier engulfed in flames

Jakarta: A livestock carrier caught fire in the early hours this morning. The Indonesian-flagged ship, Asia Raya (built 1985), was carrying 634 cows. A fire broke out after the ship had left Kupang port in West Timor and was five miles from the port, heading for East Kalimantan.

Early indications suggest the ship was overloaded. It listed causing panic among the crew, some of whom let off rescue flares, which hit the animal fodder and started an inferno. All 37 crewmembers were rescued, some of whom had light injuries.

Authorities were battling to try and evacuate the cows on the ship, however there are believed to have been many cattle who have died in the accident.

The 1,050 dwt ship was badly burned and is now heading for repairs.

 

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.

Comments

  1. The horrors that face animals of the world these days all so human maggots who dont have any intelligence can benefit,, Its disgusting,

    1. You are spot on, Kelly! Our beautiful livestock being shipped to these slum countries while only the greedy profit from such an atrocious practice. First the poor animals have to endure these horror ships & conditions then go on to be left in yards for days without food or water then be slaughtered by amateur low lives who have no compassion for their own race let alone a poor scared animal who shouldn’t even be there in the first place!

      1. To Kelly & Maxi. You both seemed to be lacking in love and compassion for mankind, use foul language and look upon others as dirt and inferior to you. I really do wonder if such self-centred being can have genuine compassion for other beings and really belong to a civilised class of intelligent people.

  2. this earth is`t hell for animals! I cry for this poor cows who hat to go through all this!

  3. This is really sad. they cant even say how many cows were rescued.. Did their lives mean anything? they let the cows die and saved humans. ones they deserved to die more than the cows did. so so sad….. they shouldn’t be there in the first place. these poor animals travel for days with out any food and water. such a shame to be human these day!!!

  4. Live export is the pits !
    Those poor cows on the ship, breathing in toxic fumes- the Australian government should be ashamed of itself. Who’s looking after them once they have left Australian shores? No-one!
    These animals suffer random grisly deaths. For what? Greedy profit.

  5. Horrendous how those poor cows suffered not only as a result of the fire and the stupid people but also having to suffer the journey in the first place. I bet the surving cows (if any) still went on to be slaughtered. I hope the crew go on to have nightmares and suffer for the rest of their miserable lives for what they have done.

  6. A tragedy of immense proportions. That innocent and helpless victims are viewed as mere commodities for economic gain speaks volumes as to our inhumanity. Time to shut down this vile industry.

  7. Live export needs to be banned. But that won’t happen because of insane human greed. As if it isn’t bad enough the atrocities we inflict on animals in their countries of origin. I don’t even understand why one would want to transport live, pooping cows when it would be so much easier to move their corpses. It’s all sick and foreign to me, who refuses make a graveyard out of my stomach.

  8. It’s time for all humanity to go vegan. It’s the only way to close all those involved in this savagery.

  9. This. Should be a lesson, these poor animals suffered scared to death of flames, no doubt tightly packed..imagine there horror/terror. Live export to these countries is so cruel, they are treat so badly from shipping to the horrors of what await at the end.. Over loading the ship with greed in mind, certainly not animal welfare…

  10. The solution is easy. Stop empowering the evil greedy meat industry and go vegan.

  11. It’s human greed and capitalism that will ruin our planet – mother earth, Terra, will retaliate, she started with tsunamies, eartquakes, sinkholes, epidemics, – it will get worse – year in year out, and then it will be too late
    just watch it coming

  12. So very sad. Animals burned alive that were being transported to be killed for their meat. Absolutely sick. I have to believe there is somewhere these animals go- a better place, away from coldhearted selfish humans. STOP EATING MEAT!!!

  13. I totally agree with all those comments about the poor animals horrific death etc etc etc. On the other hand, is any one of you who is commenting, a true blood vegetarian or vegan? If not, are we fit enough to comment? Ponder on it for awhile….the poor animal is also going thru terrified moment of fear knowing its d the next one in d hands of a butcher pending for death sentence!

    1. Shan, don’t be too quick to judge all meat eaters. This was indeed another tragedy..Not condoned by all people just because they eat meat.

  14. This is sick but like we say all about profit all the petitions I’ve signed and contacted my MP these poor creatures should never be sent to these countries where they have no morals and are cruel breaks my bloody heart

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