An overloaded ship with thousands of sheep on board sank on Sunday in the Sudanese port city of Sawakin on the Red Sea. Everyone in the crew survived but almost all the animals drowned, according to port officials.
The ship would transport the sheep from Sudan to Saudi Arabia. It dropped when more animals than it is built for were loaded at – 15,800 against the load limit of 9,000.
The value of the cattle is estimated at 14 million Saudi rials, corresponding to around 40 million kronor. Although it took several hours for the ship to sink, only 700 could be rescued, something that is criticized by the head of the country’s national export organization, Omar al-Khalifa.
There are now concerns that the accident will have serious consequences for the port.
– The sunken ship will affect the operation of the port. It will probably also have an environmental impact due to the number of animals that have died, says an official.