1,400 pregnant cows trapped on filthy ship for 55 days

More than 2,900 female cows, including 1,400 pregnant, are trapped aboard a filthy, aging livestock ship off the coast of Turkey. No country is willing to take them in.

For over 50 days, these animals have been floating in limbo on the Spiridon II, a 52-year-old cargo vessel originally built to transport cars.

The ship left Uruguay on September 20 with nearly 2901 female cows. When it arrived in Bandırma, Turkey on October 22, authorities refused to let the animals disembark due to documentation issues.

Since then, the cows have been stuck at sea: half of them are pregnant, and some have had their babies. It’s not known if the babies survived.

Spiridon II'ye dün saman yüklendi. Bazı ineklerin susuzluktan boruları yaladığı görüldü. Güvertedeki beyaz büyük torbalarda ölen ineklerin olduğunu tahmin ediyoruz. Gemi şu an Bandırma açıklarında demirli ve açık kaynaklarda varış limanı olarak Bandırma görülüyor. pic.twitter.com/QtbcTBLTFa

— Animal Save Türkiye (@AnimalSaveTR) November 10, 2025

Import of pregnant cows

Turkey banned the import of pregnant cows on January 1, 2025, but it has apparently reversed its own decision.

Fernando Fernández, the director of Uruguayan livestock exporter Ganosan, whose company transported the animals to Turkey, said the country changes its rules every time. This was supposed to be the last import of pregnant cows. 

“Over many years Turkey has constantly changed its decisions and business plans. So we take everything with a grain of salt. Today it’s the last ship. We don’t know for how long. We don’t think it will be very long,” Fernández told local media.

Animal welfare experts have called the situation a cruelty emergency. The cows are standing in their own waste, breathing poor air, and living in extreme heat and humidity. Some are sick. Some have already died, at least 50 cows have perished so far, and the number will rise.

Uruguayan livestock company Ganosan Livestock confirmed that roughly half the cows are pregnant Holsteins and yearlings. The rest are Hereford and Angus cows.

The ship sails under the Togo flag. Since 2019, the Spiridon II has received 167 violations for safety and welfare issues.

Animal Welfare Foundation, Animals International, and other groups have contacted the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), calling the crisis both an animal welfare disaster and a biosecurity risk.