All news

Ship with 16,000 sheep onboard sank in Sudan port - report

The port authorities have raised the specter of an environmental threat for the Red Sea after the death of the large number of animals

CAIRO, June 12. /TASS/. A ship with 16,000 sheep onboard sank in the Sudanese port of Suakin from overloading on Sunday, Sky News Arabia reported.

The crew survived.

"The Badr-1 ship, which was loaded with 15,800 sheep for Saudi Arabia, sank near the pier," the TV station reported, citing a port representative. "Originally, the ship’s maximum capacity was for 9,000 animals but it went up to 12,000 head after an upgrade."

The port authorities have raised the specter of an environmental threat for the Red Sea after the death of the large number of animals. The sheep were bound for Saudi Arabia ahead of the key Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, when animals are ritually sacrificed.

The port of Suakin sits on the Red Sea in the northeast of Sudan. It has ceded it role as Sudan's main port to Port Sudan, about 60 kilometers to the north.

Tags