Barkly Pearl Out of Oz Waters for 2 YEARS!

AMSA has issued its most severe banning to date - to a livestock carrier -   banning the Barkly Pearl from entering or using an Australia port for 24 months.

"This is a significant decision by AMSA.  It’s the first time a vessel has been banned from Australian ports for this length of time and it will certainly affect the vessel’s commercial operations... The owners and operators of the Barkly Pearl were negligent in their maintenance of the vessel, put the lives of the seafarers on board at risk and posed an immediate threat to Australia’s marine environment."

If only this came as a surprise. Livestock carriers comprise the oldest saltwater fleet and are renowned for detentions and for having a poor safety record. An analysis undertaken last year by The Guardian indicated that livestock carriers are twice as likely to be lost as cargo vessels.

VALE welcomes the move by AMSA. In addition to seafarer and marine environment risk, it would also have been yet another risk to our exported animals.