Kuwati firm buys the world’s largest livestock carrier

Australian live export company Wellard is selling the world’s largest purpose-built livestock vessel, the Ocean Shearer, for $53m to Kuwait’s Al Mawashi, which trades in Australia as Kuwait Livestock Transport and Trading Company (KLTT).

Built in 2016, the nine-deck, 189.5 m long Ocean Shearer can carry 20,000 cattle or 75,000 sheep.

Wellard executive chairman John Klepec said the Ocean Shearer has been consistently under-utilised in what he described as the “current, very volatile, environment”.

In October, struggling Wellard settled the sale and leaseback of the ship Ocean Swagman for $22m, two years after selling the Ocean Outback.