Livestock ship with 15,000 mutton-bound sheep capsizes off Constanta

A SHIP carrying 15,000 sheep has capsized in the Black Sea off Constanta, prompting efforts to save the animals after the 20-man crew from Syria and Lebanon were rescued, reports the New York Times.

It was not clear what caused the 39-year-old livestock carrier, the 2,113-dwt Queen Hind, to capesize on its way to Saudi Arabia where the sheep were to be slaughtered.



Ana-Maria Stoica, a spokeswoman for the rescuers, told Agence France-Presse that 32 sheep had been rescued, including two that were in the water.



Romania exports 70,000 sheep a year to North Africa and the Persian Gulf, according to an August resolution from the European Parliament calling for Romania to improve treatment of the animals.


WORLD SHIPPING