Australian Government crackdown on live export ships six months after Gulf Livestock 1 sinking

The Federal Government is cracking down on the safety of live export ships six months since the still-missing Gulf Livestock 1 was lost at sea with 5800 cattle and more than 40 crew aboard.

AUTHORITIES have vowed to crack down on the safety of Australian live export ships – six months after a vessel carrying more than 5000 cattle capsized and sunk off the coast of Japan.

Today marks six months since the Panama-registered Gulf Livestock 1 — on a contract voyage for the Melbourne-based Australasian Global Exports with 5800 dairy heifers and 43 crew on board — was lost at sea.

The ship was on its way from Napier in New Zealand to China when it went missing on September 2. It is believed the ship was travelling in the South China Sea near Japan’s Amami Oshima Island in an area affected by Typhoon Maysak when the incident occurred.

Three crew members were plucked from the ocean but one later died. One survivor, 45-year-old Filipino Eduardo Sareno, told rescuers that the ship stalled and capsized after being hit by a powerful wave. The ship has not been located. Among those missing are Australians William Mainprize and Lukas Orda.

Lost at sea: The Gulf Livestock 1 is believed to have capsized and sunk off the coast of Japan in September 2020. Picture: Vesselfinder.com

The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission has previously said it was assisting a Panama-led inquiry into the incident. The TAIC said under international protocols, investigations into accidents on the high seas fall to the vessel’s flag state – in this case Panama.

The six-month anniversary of the tragedy comes as Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it would focus an “intense compliance spotlight” on the maintenance and operation of livestock ships exporting animals from Australia over the next six months.

AMSA operations general manager Allan Schwartz said the campaign, to run until August 31, was initiated in the wake of the Gulf Livestock 1 incident and the arrival of the Marshall Islands-registered Barkly Pearl in Western Australia with a hole in its side two months later.

“We need to know if these were isolated incidents or indicative of more systematic issues with ship maintenance and stability,” Mr Schwartz said.

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VIDEO EMERGES OF LOST LIVE-EXPORT SHIP

GULF LIVESTOCK 1: AUSTRALASIAN GLOBAL EXPORTS LINKED TO SHIP
GULF LIVESTOCK 1: AUSTRALIAN-OPERATED LIVE EXPORT SHIP MISSING