Ship loaded with 16,000 head of livestock sank in Sudanese port of Suakin

KHARTOUM, Jun. 12 (YPA) – A Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship owned by an Emirati businessman sank yesterday evening, Saturday, off the Sudanese port of Suakin, shortly after leaving for Saudi Arabia.

Several websites and news agencies published pictures of the ship sinking very close to the berth of Suakin Port, eastern Sudan, while it was preparing to leave the port.

The ship was loaded with 16,000 head of livestock, and some media reports attributed the causes of its sinking to the excessive load that was on board.

A civil defense team succeeded in rescuing the stricken ship’s crew, while losses were estimated at millions of Saudi riyals, following the death of its entire cargo of livestock.

The death of this very large number of livestock inside the sinking ship will constitute a major environmental disaster, especially since the place where the ship sank is only meters away from land.

The authorities rushed to form an investigation committee to find out the circumstances of the sinking of the ship.

YPA