Live Export Ship Breaks Down

The Wellard-owned and operated MV Ocean Drover is continuing its journey to the Aqaba Gulf after a main engine malfunction was rectified by the vessel’s on-board engineers.

The vessel’s master had stopped the vessel for 72 hours to give the engineers sufficient time to assess and rectify the problem and test the repair.

Importantly, the provision of feed, water and ventilation to the 42,000 sheep and 6,000 cattle on board the vessel were unaffected by the mechanical issues due to the redundancy provisions built into the ship to protect and enhance animal welfare.

The vessel continues to experience calm seas, low humidity and daytime temperatures of 27C, well below the 35-40C the livestock experienced in their paddocks before being transferred to the vessel.

Wellard notified both the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Department of Agriculture so they are aware of the mechanical issue and their rectification by the company.

The MV Ocean Drover (formerly the MV Becrux), was commissioned in 2002 and is the world’s largest, purpose-built livestock carrier, with advanced ventilation, feed and water systems.

The vessel is capable of transporting 75,000 sheep or 18,000 cattle to major markets around the globe. The vessel celebrated its 100th voyage in June 2010. It has visited ports in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Turkey, China and Russia, and loaded from Townsville, Darwin, Wyndham, Broome, Geraldton, Fremantle, Adelaide and Portland in Australia plus New Zealand, United States and Brazil.