Tracking silence raises questions as Spiridon II goes dark

The Spiridon II, currently under close watch by concerned animal welfare organizations and citizens due to the sick and dying animals onboard, has stopped transmitting tracking data.

The vessel, which is carrying nearly 3,000 cows, has been stranded at sea for over 60 days and went dark for more than 21 hours (at the time of writing this article).

Its last tracked position was on November 18 at 16:41 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

Possible reasons for the silence

Ship tracking systems use AIS (Automatic Identification System) to report a vessel’s location, speed, and identity. When those signals stop, several explanations are possible.

AIS Transponder turned off
Some ships deliberately turn off their AIS transponders due to security or commercial reasons. However, in a case like Spiridon II, where the public is closely monitoring animal welfare, this could be considered highly suspicious and even illegal under international maritime law if done without valid justification.

Anchored or docked
Sometimes AIS signals are less frequent when a ship is anchored or docked. But Spiridon II was not en route to any port or known anchorage, making this explanation unlikely.

Technical issues
Malfunctions in the ship’s antenna, power systems, or onboard equipment might cause a signal loss. This is possible, especially for older vessels like the 52-year-old Spiridon II.

Coverage gaps
In remote ocean areas, AIS data can go missing due to weak satellite reception. But this is not the case here, other ships nearby are being tracked normally, ruling out a coverage gap.

Ongoing Concerns

The Spiridon II has drawn global concern since it was denied entry to a Turkish port on October 22 over paperwork issues. The animals on board, 2,901 female cows, many of them pregnant, have now been aboard for more than 60 days.

Conditions onboard are believed to be deteriorating, with reports of sickness, suffering, and at least 50 animal deaths.

The export was organized by Uruguayan company Ganosan Livestock, and the vessel itself has a long history of safety issues.

Animal welfare groups and citizens have called on authorities to act, and many fear the ship could be sunk at sea with the animals still aboard if no solution is found.

As of this report, no official updates have been released on the Spiridon II’s current status.

Timeline of the Spiridon II

The data was provided by ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic.

• September 20 2025: The vessel departed from Montevideo, Uruguay.
• October 5 2025: Arrived at Mindelo Port in Cape Verde.
• October 6 2025: Departed Mindelo. (It is unclear whether food or water was loaded.)
• October 19 2025: Arrived at Piraeus anchorage, Greece.
• October 20 2025: Departed from Piraeus anchorage.
• October 22 2025: Arrived at Bandirma Port, Turkey.
• October 31 2025: Moved from Bandirma Port to its anchorage.
• November 8 2025: Briefly returned to Bandirma Port for supplies.
• November 9 2025: Returned to the anchorage.
• November 14 2025: Departed Bandirma anchorage with destination set as Montevideo, Uruguay.

The ship is currently expected to arrive back in Montevideo on December 13 2025, and based on its current speed and course, it is projected to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar in the early UTC hours of November 22 2025.