羊積み過ぎで船沈没　スーダン

【ハルツームＡＦＰ＝時事】スーダン東部の紅海に面したスアキン港で１２日、羊を積んだ家畜運搬船が沈没した。大半の羊はおぼれたものの、乗組員は全員無事だった。当局が明らかにした。船は最大積載量を大幅に上回る数の羊を積んでいたという。（写真はスーダンの紅海に面したスアキン港で、救出された沈没した船に積まれていた羊）
　船はサウジアラビア行きだった。スーダン港湾局の担当者は、運搬船「バドル１」は、１２日未明に沈没したと語った。船の最大積載量は羊９０００匹だったが、１万５８００匹を積んでいたという。
　別の担当者は経済だけではなく、環境への影響にも懸念を示した。「港湾の運営に影響が出るのは確実だ」「船で運ばれていた多数の動物の死は環境にも影響を与える可能性が高い」
　輸出協会のオマル・ハリファ会長によると、事故は桟橋付近で起こり、数時間で沈没した。
　同協会の家畜部門責任者サレ・セリム氏は、損失額は約１４００万サウジ・リヤル（約５億円）に上ると指摘。羊の所有者は約７００匹を救助したが、「非常に弱っていて、長くは生きられない」と話した。
　スーダンでは慢性的な経済危機が続いており、昨年起きたクーデターでさらに悪化した。クーデターは、新たに発足した統治評議会議長で陸軍出身のアブドルファタハ・ブルハン氏が主導した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/06/14-13:43）

An overladen ship crammed with thousands of sheep sank Sunday in Sudan's Red Sea port of Suakin drowning most animals on board but with all crew surviving, officials said.
The livestock vessel was exporting the animals from Sudan to Saudi Arabia when it sank after several thousand more animals were loaded on board than it was meant to carry.
The ship, Badr 1, sank during the early hours of Sunday morning, a senior Sudanese port official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. It was carrying 15,800 sheep, which was beyond its load limits.
The official said the ship was supposed to carry only 9,000 sheep.
Another official, who said that all crew were rescued, raised concerns over the economic and environmental impact of the accident.
The sunken ship will affect the port's operation, the official said.
It will also likely have an environmental impact due to the death of the large number of animals carried by the ship.
Omar al-Khalifa, the head of the national exporters' association, said the ship took several hours to sink at the pier -- a window that meant it could have been rescued.
The total value of the lost livestock is around 14 million Saudi riyals, the equivalent of four million dollars, said Saleh Selim, the head of the association's livestock division, confirming also that the sheep were loaded onto the vessel at Suakin port.
He said livestock owners recovered only around 700 sheep but they were found very ill and we don't expect them to live long.
Selim called for an investigation into the incident.
Last month, a massive fire broke out in the cargo area of Suakin port, lasting hours and causing heavy damage. It was not clear what caused the blaze.
An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire, but has yet to release its findings.
The historic port town of Suakin is no longer Sudan's main foreign trade hub, a role which has been taken by Port Sudan, some 60 kilometres (40 miles) away along the Red Sea coast.
There have been moves to redevelop Suakin port, but a 2017 deal with Turkey to restore historic buildings and expand the docks was suspended after the ouster of longtime president Omar al-Bashir.
Sudan remains gripped by a chronic economic crisis, which has deepened following last year's military coup led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The military takeover triggered punitive measures, including aid cuts by Western governments, who demanded the restoration of the transitional administration installed after Bashir was toppled.