The livestock vessel Maysora.
LIVE export of sheep and cattle continued from Western Australia yesterday as a Turkey-bound ship loaded at Fremantle, while another vessel at the centre of a regulatory furore lay stranded in the port.
WA-based exporter Livestock Shipping Services or LSS loaded 8000 cattle and about 35,000 sheep on the Maysora in Fremantle today after arriving from Adelaide yesterday with 35,000 sheep on board.
The Maysora is due to depart Fremantle tonight, but another vessel, the Awassi Express, remained in Fremantle today while undergoing third party air flow and ventilation testing demanded by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. An AMSA spokesperson said there were no updates on the testing.
AMSA will not renew the Awassi Express’ Australian Certificate for the Carriage of Livestock until it is satisfied the ship complies with Marine Order 43, including requirements for minimum air flow across all areas of the livestock pens.
Following the release of a whistleblower’s video footage of dead and dying sheep in cramped conditions on the Awassi Express on 60 Minutes last Sunday, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud has ordered reviews into his own department and the standards for live export during the northern hemisphere summer. He has also promised tougher penalties for live export standards breaches and a whistleblower phone number.
Maysora is clear to go
The AMSA spokesperson said the livestock carrier Maysora is loading livestock at the Port of Fremantle today. The ship has a valid Australian Certificate for the Carriage of Livestock.
“AMSA conducted routine Port State Control and livestock pre-loading inspections on the Maysora at the Port of Adelaide on Wednesday April 4, where it was cleared to load 75,000 sheep.
“The ship is scheduled to load about 8000 cattle in Fremantle today before departing for Turkey tonight,” the AMSA spokesperson said.
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources said it is currently considering an application for an export permit for the Maysora’s voyage.
“The department has directed an independent observer to monitor this voyage, which includes reporting conditions of the ship and livestock to the department daily, including photographs.”
Yes Tom all regular readers with rational knee-jerk reactions. (Oxymoron noted)
All regular readers?
Let’s hope the independent observer does the job without any favouritism towards the live exporter who still owns the sheep and cattle, until they are handed over to the importer at the destination ports. No doubt this person would be paid by DAWR and probably selected by someone at MLA and if so, this person will not be a totally independent observer.
So who’s paying the “independent observer”? And will he lose his job if he tells and photographs the truth? The vet who was on the Awassi Express left the ship a day before it reached port.