Livestock Carrier Runs Into Trouble Off Western Australia

A screenshot of video taken of the MV Barkly Pearl listing to port, November 3, 2020. Photo courtesy AMSA

It seems like livestock shipping has dodged another black eye

A livestock carrier that had run into trouble and was listing has made safely it to port in Western Australian easing fears of another livestock carrier disaster. Only this time there were no animals on board.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has confirmed that the Marshall Islands-flagged MV Barkly Pearl arrived at the Port of Geraldton after the ship sustained damage to its bow.

The AMSA was alerted to incident Monday night when the ship was approximately 120 kilometers north of Geraldton. AMSA sent its Challenger search and rescue jet to fly over the vessel and it was able to confirm damage to the starboard side of the vessel, which was listing to port.

AMSA General Manager of Response Mark Morrow said there were significant concerns for
the integrity of the vessel and its ability to safely reach Indonesia, its planned destination.

“We held concerns about the integrity of the vessel and the potential for environmental issues” said AMSA General Manager of Response Mark Morrow. “As a result, AMSA issued a Direction for the vessel to make its way to safety in the Port of Geraldton.”

AIS ship tracking data shows the ship departed Freemantle, Western Australia, located a little over 250 miles to the south. No animals were loaded on board.

The incident comes exactly two months after the sinking of the livestock carrier Gulf Livestock 1 during a typhoon off the coast of Japan in early September. There were only 2 survivors, while 41 crew members and nearly 6,000 cattle lost their lives in the accident. The incident prompted authorities in New Zealand to crack down on livestock carrier shipping, which included suspending live exports as shipping companies implemented new safety measures and pending a review of the trade.

Below is some video of the MV Barkly Pearl  during by the AMSA flyover:

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