#BanLiveExport One of the many problems of live export: A live export ship carrying 7300 head of cattle has been forced to turn back from a Fijian port after sending out a distress call to dock as it was low on fuel, water and food. The ship is not Australian, its journey is an already arduous journey of 26 days from Chile to China. It is unclear how long the ship has been delayed and whether it is now restocked with food and water. Thanks to Julie Hoskison for the heads-up. Cattle ship Polaris 2 barred by Fiji authorities MICHAEL FIELD January 16 2015 A ship carrying thousands of live heifers has been forced back into international waters by Fijian authorities after it tried entering Suva claiming to be low on food. The Panama-flagged 8443 ton cattle carrier Polaris 2 is shipping 7300 cattle from Chile to China to be used to build up the Chinese dairy industry. The ship this morning entered Noumea harbour in New Caledonia, 1800 kilometres north of Auckland. Suva based magazine Island Business to Polaris 2 tried to enter Suva but did not declare its cargo. Ship tracking software shows the ship was only in Suva harbour for 50 minutes. Island Business said port authorities had believed it was a routine port call but when they discovered that there was a dairy herd aboard, the Fiji Navy was alerted. Patrol boat Kiro forced Polaris 2, then manoeuvring in Suva harbour, out to sea. Island Business said the Polaris 2s master then issued a distress call, claiming he was low on fuel, water and food and needed to re-stock. Bio-Security Authority of Fiji gave permission for some supplies to go to the ship outside the harbour. Island Business says the ships agent has been fined F$35,000 ($22,425) for failing to disclose the presence of the animals. Polaris 2 docked in Noumea around 9.30am, New Zealand time. Live cattle carriers have long been criticised for the poor conditions animals are forced to occupy. The Cattle Site says this herd is Chiles first effort at exporting live cattle to China. Chiles Agriculture Minister Carlos Furche said the sale of live animals generated income and a better quality of life for owners of thousands of medium-sized farms. With this, an additional line of business for livestock has opened up, which strengthens the dairy industry, which has doubled its production in the last 10 years, he said. The website says Polaris 2 has nine levels and spacious pens for the cattle to travel in good condition. It also has two large silos for storage of food and a special area for treating animals that might suffer an injury or illness during the trip, it says. The trip from Chile to China was expected to take 26 days. Also reported here: islandsbusiness/news/fiji/6487/chinese-bound-cattle-cargo-cause-suva-port-scare/ China-bound cattle cargo causes Suva Port Scare Exclusive story By Samisoni Pareti News Thu 15 Jan 2015 Vigilant bio-security officers in Fiji had to call on the Fiji Navy to escort an international cargo freighter out of Suva Harbour this week because of its undeclared cargo: 7200 heads of cattle. The incident took place on Monday night on Suva’s main Kings Wharf during what bio-security officers thought were routine ship boarding checks. Local agents of the Panama-registered freighter, the Polaris, allegedly didn’t notify authorities of the cargo manifest – 7200 heads of cattle from Chile bound for mainland China. The Fiji Navy was immediately alerted after the discovery of the animals in the cargo hold, which dispatched its Australian-built “Kiro” patrol boat to escort the Polaris back to international waters. Islands Business has been told that once outside the harbour, the captain of Polaris issued a distress call, claiming the boat was low on fuel, water and food, and needed to re-stock supplies. Bio-Security Authority of Fiji then consulted the Divisional Medical Officer based in Suva who instructed that the boat could be re-supplied but from outside Suva Harbour. The General Manager of the local shipping agent of Polaris was unavailable to comment on the matter when contacted today. A source however told the magazine that for breaching animal quarantine non-disclosure laws, the shipping company has been fined F$35,000. It’s believed the Polaris had since left Fiji for mainland China. stuff.co.nz/business/farming/dairy/65105048/cattle-ship-polaris-2-barred-by-fiji-authorities
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 22:39:27 +0000
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