Darla

The 'Darla' was scheduled to set sail from Cartagena for Algeria with almost 8,000 sheep on board on Feb 4, 2026, despite bad weather, but a warning to the authorities has stopped the ship for now. The ship was scheduled to load nearly 8,000 sheep and then set sail for Algeria. Bad weather had been forecast for the route, with meter-high waves that could be dangerous for both the animals and the ship. The Animal Welfare Foundation contacted the relevant Spanish authorities and sent an urgent letter demanding that they not approve the loading and departure of the 'Darla' as long as the weather conditions were unsuitable. The ship remained berthed in Cartagena and was not scheduled to be loaded. Report with photos: https://www.animal-welfare-foundation.org/en/blog/frachter-darla-bleibt-vorerst-im-hafen-unsere-intervention-zeigt-wirkung

The captain of the 'Elita' was arrested and the vessel seized by the Spanish authorities who suspect the captain was part of an organized crime ring that was exploiting individuals from Syria and other war-torn countries promising them transportation to Europe under the guise of working aboard the vessel. The Spanish police was alerted to a scheme to smuggle people into the country on cattle carriers. Two individuals were apprehended in the Spanish region of Mazarron. On closer investigation, it was revealed that they were Syrian nationals who had entered the country illegally aboard the 'Elita' which was anchored off the port of Cartagena. The two men told the Spanish authorities that they along with as many as six to ten other individuals had paid up to €13,000 or 13,500, and in exchange were signed on to the vessels for the voyage to Europe and listed on the ship’s manifests as part of the crew. The two men boarded the vessel in October and were forced to work aboard the ship. They did not believe there were going to be permitted to jump ship when it docked in Spain and hence came up with a plan to escape. The men feared that the smugglers were taking them back to the Arab world, where if they were discovered, they would be returned to Syria and turned over to the police. They thus jumped overboard and swam to shore. They told authorities that others were being detained aboard the ship. The Spanish police investigated and staged a raid on the vessel and ordered it on Nov 20 to dock in Cartagena. There, the authorities investigated the passports and work papers of the crew and found that at least eight sets were forged. It was determined that the individuals lacked training or qualifications to work aboard the ship. They had apparently been forced to work on the ship under exploitative labour conditions. Eight men have been released into the custody of aid organizations. The remainder of the crew was currently being detained on the ship while the investigation was ongoing. The captain has been arraigned on charges of human smuggling. The 'Elita' has been sailing between Libya and Spain under the guise of transporting cattle and changed names at least three times recently, having more than 10 names and operating under a total of five flags. The authorities believed that an organized crime ring acquired the vessel as a tool in their scheme and registered it under flags of convenience. When the vessel was detained, it was registered in Guyana. Report with photos: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/captain-arrested-and-cattle-ship-detained-for-human-smuggling

The Judicial Police of the Civil Guardlaunched an investigation open for human trafficking against the master of the 'Elita', which began on Nov 18, 2021, in the waters of Cartagena. In the morning the ship, authorized to transport cattle, was approaching the coast and anchored in front of El Portús, taking advantage of the shelter provided by Cabo Tiñoso, where vessels wait until they are allowed to enter the dock. Some of the people who were traveling irregularly on the ship decided to leave on their own and jumped into the water. When they were intercepted, thes reported that they came from the 'Elita'. The case was reported to the Judicial Police on the suspicion that the vessel was transporting people without papers to Europe. In this case, as it is a matter managed by the State Security Forces, the Maritime Captaincy requested the emergency docking from the Port Authority. The "Elita" had on board a dozen people, apparently of Syrian origin. They were put at the disposal of the Benemérita, while humanitarian organizations were waiting to deal with them. They could apply for refugee status. The captain of the ship was arrested and appeared in the Guard Court of Cartagena, on Nov 22. From there, he was taken to jail and entered provisional prison for a crime against the rights of foreign citizens.

The French Navy frigate 'Surcouf' supervised an operation of intercepting and checking the 'Bruna' along with a Cayman helicopter and a customs boat. The cattle carrier was about to enter French territorial waters on Nov 17, 2020, en route from Aliaga to Sète. Checks on board the vessel confirmed discrepancies between the ship's official declarations to the French authorities (crew list and maritime health declaration) and the observations made on board during this operation, in particular, the presence of additional people on board not appearing on the documents sent by the captain before entering French territorial waters. On board were 22 persons. According to the crew list there should have been 16 crew members on board. In fact there were 22 people of Syrian and Indian nationalities on the ship. In view of the irregularities observed the prefect of Hérault denied access to the port of Sète. After the ship was turned away from French waters and headed to Palma Mallorca where it dropped anchor on Nov 20 at 12.20 a.m. in pos. 39° 31.95' N 002° 39.94' E. Report with photo: https://www.premar-mediterranee.gouv.fr/communiques-presse/operation-ciblee-de-controle-sur-un-navire-marchand-en-mer-mediterranee