2.12 - Treatment of animal carcasses
2.12.1 Only fit and healthy animals should be
presented for loading as cargo and managed in accordance
with international standards for the transport of animals at
sea1. The master of the
ship is expected to have responsibility for shipboard
livestock operational issues, animal health and welfare, and
conditions for the control and reporting of animal mortality
on board.
2.12.2 Ships carrying live animal cargo
consignments are expected to have animals that die during a
voyage. These mortalities accrue gradually over the voyage
and are dependent on various factors including age and type
of animal species, facilities on board the ship and local
climatic conditions. The most common mortality causes stem
from enteritis, refusal to feed, injury, exhaustion, or
illness not evident prior to loading. The mortality numbers
are generally low and are operational issues to be
controlled as part of cargo management practice. These
mortalities are considered to be generated during the normal
operation of the ship and liable to be discharged of
continually or periodically and therefore subject to Annex V
regulations.
2.12.3 As part of normal livestock ship
management procedures, regular inspections (day and night)
are recommended to ensure the health and welfare of the
animals. It is recommended that these inspections include
shipboard recording, on a daily basis, of the number of
animals that have died or have been euthanized.
2.12.4 When mortalities occur on board, the
carcasses should be removed from the pen areas and assessed
for appropriate disposition. The options for appropriate
discharge of the carcasses under Annex V will typically be
discharge into the sea or discharge to a reception facility.
Where the ship has an appropriate storage area on board,
limited quantities of treated carcasses may be stored for
short periods for subsequent discharge into the sea or to
reception facilities. Any storage on board should take into
account occupational health and safety requirements.
2.12.5 Regulation 4.1.4 of MARPOL Annex V
permits the discharge into the sea of animal carcasses
generated during the normal operation of a ship, but only if
the ship is en route, outside a special area, as far as
possible from the nearest land and taking into account the
guidelines developed by the Organization. To comply with
regulation 4.1.4 of MARPOL Annex V, it is recommended that
the discharge into the sea should take place greater than
100 nautical miles (nm) from the nearest land and in the
maximum water depth possible.
2.12.6 When a ship is on a voyage that is
not often greater than 100 nm from nearest land, the
retention of carcasses on board during conditions of high
temperatures and high humidity may constitute a threat to
human health and safety or to the remaining live animals. In
these circumstances it may not be possible to discharge
animal carcasses in accordance with these guidelines. In
such circumstances where the master of the ship determines
that such health and safety threats exist, it is recommended
the discharge into the sea should take place greater than 12
nm from the nearest land. Where the discharge of animal
carcasses at sea occurs under these circumstances, the entry
in the Garbage Record Book of the position of the ship
should also include a remark about these circumstances.
2.12.7 Animal carcasses should be split or
otherwise treated prior to their discharge at sea.
Procedures for the treatment of carcasses should take into
account the health and safety of the crew and other
livestock cargo. Treatment should facilitate the sinking or
dispersal of the carcass when it is discharged into the
sea.
2.12.8 Treatment of a carcass involves:
- manually slitting or cutting the carcass to the extent
that the thoracic and abdominal cavities are opened;
or
- passing the carcass through equipment such as a
comminuter, grinder, hogger, or mincer.
2.12.9 For each animal carcass incinerated,
discharged into the sea or discharged to a reception
facility, an entry in the Garbage Record Book shall be made.
The entry should include the date/time, position of the ship
and remarks to specify the animal species (e.g. sheep,
cattle, goats), the category "H" and the number of carcasses
discharged. Where the discharge is to a reception facility,
the receipt obtained from the facility should be attached to
the Garbage Record Book.
2.12.10 Following the completion of a
voyage, the master of the ship is encouraged to provide a
copy of the pages of the Garbage Record Book that contain
the entries for the discharges of animal carcasses at sea to
the flag State and the State from whose port the voyage
originated, and other information requested.
2.12.11 Governments are encouraged to
analyse the garbage records of discharges of animal
carcasses and other relevant information to inform and
assist future reviews of the Annex V guidelines and
regulations.
Mortalities in excess of those generated during the
normal operation of a ship
2.12.12 Carcasses of animals resulting from
mortalities in excess of those generated during the normal
operation of a ship are not "garbage" under Annex V and are
not covered under these guidelines. To assist in managing
these situations, masters should contact the flag State of
the ship and where appropriate, port and/or coastal State(s)
to seek guidance on the appropriate legal regimes and
requirements, as well as consult relevant IMO guidelines and
circulars. In particular, masters should refer to the joint
London Convention-London Protocol/MEPC "Guidance on Managing
Spoilt Cargoes".
2.12.13 "Mortalities in excess of those
generated during the normal operation of a ship" refers to
animal mortalities in excess of those described in paragraph
2.12.2. While this could be a number of animals dying at the
same time or within a short period of time, the number of
mortalities that exceed those generated during the normal
operation of a ship will depend upon the animal species and
the total number and/or species carried in the
consignment.
2.12.14 Circumstances that may result in
mortalities that exceed those generated during the normal
operation of the ship, include:
- malfunctioning of ventilation or watering systems;
- weather events such as heat waves or storm
systems;
- infectious disease outbreaks; and
- refusal of cargo offloading by authorities at
destination, leading to the need to euthanize some or
all of the live animal cargo.
2.12.15 The guidance provided above and in
the LC-LP/MEPC Circular on guidance on managing spoilt
cargoes is not a substitute for any stricter requirements
imposed upon a ship by a port State, a flag State or the
exporting country, for the management of livestock
cargoes.
1
The World Organisation for
Animal Health (OIE) formulated "Guidelines for the Transport
of Animals by Sea" as part of the Terrestrial Animal Health
Code (2010).