Ship Carrying 15,800 Sheep Capsizes Off Sudan’s Coast

A ship carrying 15,800 sheep from Sudan to Saudi Arabia sank in the Red Sea. All of the animals on board the ship died; all of the crew members survived. The ship, named the Badr 1, was carrying a load that was well over its limits when it sank early on Sunday morning, a senior Sudanese port official told the AFP news agency. The ship reportedly was only supposed to carry 9,000 sheep. The livestock vessel was transporting the sheep from Sudan’s Suakin port to Saudi Arabia when it capsized off of Sudan’s Red Sea coast. The sinking of the vessel will have both an environmental and an economic impact. The death of all of the sheep in the Red Sea will affect the surrounding seawater. In addition, the operation of the port will be affected, since it is the second accident in recent weeks, following a fire in the port’s cargo area that led to significant financial losses.