Livestock Carrier Released from Detention for Repair Voyage

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has released the livestock vessel MV Jawan from detention after the vessel completed a sea trial within the Port of Portland, Victoria.

Earlier this month, after two failed attempts to leave port for Pakistan and the Middle East in November, the MV Jawan was again stopped from departing as a result of stability issues. The vessel had been attempting to leave the Port of Portland with 4,327 cattle on board. After the first failed attempt, 380 cattle were unloaded, but again the vessel suffered stability issues. The full consignment of cattle was subsequently unloaded.

The sea trial confirmed that the vessel’s motion was consistent with the calculated stability. She is now sailing to Singapore for repairs but was not permitted to load cargo of any type and cannot carry livestock as her Australian Certificate for the Carriage of Livestock has been withdrawn.

An examination of the MV Jawan by the vessel’s classification society, Bureau Veritas identified a number of issues with fresh water tanks and their pumping systems as being a likely contributor to the stability issues. To mitigate this risk, all ballast and fresh water tanks were filled to capacity to minimize the impact on the ship’s stability as a result of water moving in and between tanks.

AMSA has put in place conditions for the voyage including regular reporting to AMSA and the voyage plan takes into account expected weather conditions and includes contingency plans.

AMSA will not consider reissuing an Australian Certificate for the Carriage of Livestock until repairs have been completed and AMSA is completely satisfied that the vessel’s stability issues have been resolved.