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 sea^footnote. 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.