Spiridon II Livestock Transport Organizer Due in Court Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. June 11, 2026 Video still from onboard Spiridon II (Animal Welfare Foundation / Tierschutzbund Zurich) The Austrian livestock dealer allegedly responsible for the weeks of livestock suffering and death on the Spiridon II is to appear before the Krems Regional Court in Austria on Friday as part of a civil lawsuit. The importers of the animals accuse him of fraud. The cattle from Uruguay—half of which were pregnant heifers—were originally destined for Turkey. Upon arrival, however, they were not allowed to be unloaded from Spiridon II because, according to the authorities, nearly 500 of them were not listed on the import list. The Turkish importers attempted to secure their unloading through legal action, but the Turkish court rejected the request. Meanwhile, conditions on board were growing increasingly dire: more and more animals were dying, and more and more were giving birth to their calves in knee-deep mud. White sacks were piling up on board. In photos, an animal leg appeared to be sticking out of one of one of them. The strong smell of decay and manure, which even led to protests among the residents of Bandirma, also suggests that animal remains were being stored on board. After nearly four weeks off the Turkish coast, the ship finally turned back, then turned off its tracking system for several days, and eventually unloaded the surviving animals in the Libyan city of Benghazi. Upon arrival, the white sacks on the upper deck had disappeared, suggesting that dead animals were dumped into the Mediterranean during the radio silence. The circumstances were investigated and reported by Animal Welfare Foundation and The Marker. The importers hold Christian Klinger, a livestock dealer from the Waldviertel region, and his company, Agro Breeding, responsible for the events. According to the importers, Klinger organized the transport and arranged for the loading of animals not listed o