Livestock carrier

[1] Livestock carriers are those ships which specialise exclusively in the transportation of large numbers of live animals together with their requirements for the voyage.

National authorities, which permit the export or import of live animals, regulate and monitor the ships and the associated aspects of the trade[1] very closely, in particular to minimise the likelihood of introducing infectious disease.

Bigger vessels can achieve economies of scale in their operations but also require more extensive port facilities to handle the larger numbers of livestock likely to be loaded or discharged.

During the last three decades of the twentieth century, there was a progressive trend towards large vessels carrying greater numbers of animals in pursuit of economies of scale.

Livestock carriers are required to carry sufficient feedstuffs for the maximum length of the voyage, as well as adequate reserves for emergencies.

[8] A review in February 2025 concluded that the vessels of the livestock carrier fleet remain ageing and at higher than average risk of being involved in incidents.

[13] Fire broke out onboard livestock carrier Estancia (IMO 7404944) anchored off Berbera, in the Gulf of Aden, in August 2013.

[14][15] In May 2015, the Asia Raya caught fire with 634 cows on board, originally destined for East Kalimantan in Indonesia; many of the cattle lost their lives.

[16][17] Further livestock carrier losses in 2015 included the Haidar, in Barcarena, Brazil, in October, carrying 5,000 cattle (an unknown number drowned, and only few survived).

[14] Also in the autumn of 2015 the Nabolsi I caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea off Ierapetra, Crete while en route from Beirut[14] (another source gives Croatia[18]) to Alexandria.

[22] 2024 saw incidents involving the Al Kuwait in Cape Town, South Africa with 19,000 cattle aboard (several died and 8 were euthanised); the Bahijah, en route from Freemantle to Haifa, which was subject to a diversion forcing 8,000 sheep to endure three months aboard; and Tanzania-flagged livestock carrier Deala which ran aground (fortunately, while empty of cargo) off the eastern coast of the Istrian peninsula, Croatia and has remained stranded since.