Zeebrugge Port Faces Unusual Visitor: Cargo Ship Infested with Wolf Spiders

A cargo ship arrived at a Belgian port with some surprise passengers when staff spotted a wolf spider infestation.

According to Bloomberg, the Glovis Sun, which was carrying several thousand cars, recently cruised around Southern Africa before arriving at the Port of Zeebrugge on July 18. When port officials arrived, they saw a "significant amount of spider webs" spread across cars and parts of the ship. The vessel was then locked down for two days to allow exterminators to remove the infestation before sending the Glovis Sun on its voyage.

Being more than an inch in length, wolf spiders follow and attack on their insect food, but unlike their namesake, they squash the prey into a ball and inject poison into it to liquefy its organs. The bite can be unpleasant, but it's generally thought to be safe for people and animals. The spiders are endemic to many different temperatures and locations around the world, from coastal dunes to residential gardens.

Additionally, logistical service Shipmate Fulfillment claims that pests are widespread aboard cargo ships. It is known that termites and beetles crawl into wooden shipping boxes, and that moths and other flying insects can carry ants onto ships.

Sometimes, the outcomes are terrible. Asian Longhorned Beetles began to infest solid wood packaging material from China in the 1990s, particularly wooden pallets used for freight. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that these wood-boring predators caused the felling of over 150,000 trees in New York (1996), Illinois (1998), New Jersey (2002), Massachusetts (2008), and Ohio (2011).