Livestock Carriers: The Ships That Move Live Cattle and Sheep Across Oceans

What is a livestock carrier?

A livestock carrier is a seagoing vessel for the transport of live animals. Typically it is a large ship used in the live export of sheep, cattle and goats. Carriers may be built new for the job or converted from container ships. Voyages usually last from three days to three or four weeks, and some have run for months when disease was suspected. The facts here come from the Wikipedia article on livestock carriers.

The ships exist because some markets want live animals, not carcasses. They are the sea-going descendants of the stock car in the stock car article, and the live counterpart to the refrigerated ships that move meat.

Open, closed and non-specialized ships

The article describes three main sub-types. Open livestock carriers put most or all animal pens on open decks. In theory this gives continuous natural ventilation, but in practice natural ventilation alone is not adequate everywhere and most open carriers also have supplementary mechanical ventilation. Closed carriers hold the pens within the holds and internal decks, which gives a more controlled environment but depends almost entirely on mechanical ventilation, with rules requiring set numbers of air changes an hour and back-up systems separate from the main engine room.

Non-specialized carriers use ordinary ships to move animals as part of the cargo, more often on short sea crossings such as ferries and with fewer animals. Ventilation is a key factor: failure in some tropical conditions can cause asphyxiation in as little as two or three hours.

How big are they and what do the animals need?

On the main later-twentieth-century route, from Australasia to the Middle East, vessels ranged from 2,000 to 25,000 tonnes deadweight. A medium-sized ship carries about 30,000 to 40,000 sheep or 3,000 to 4,000 cattle. A small number of sheep carriers had room for 130,000 sheep, and two combined-cargo ships could carry about 7,000 cattle and 70,000 sheep, or 14,000 cattle and 20,000 sheep. In 2007 the Deneb Prima was loading 20,000 cattle and 2,000 sheep, and in 2008 the Stella Deneb was reported to have loaded over 23,000 cattle.

Care needs set the design. Average-sized cattle need at least 40 litres of water per head per day, and sheep at least 4 litres. Fodder must be at least 2 percent of body weight a day, with enough for the longest voyage plus reserves. Desalination and reverse osmosis now allow ships to make up to 600 tonnes of fresh water a day. Livestock carriers also carry more crew than comparable cargo ships, and experienced stockmen are essential.

Safety record and incidents

A 2020 assessment found livestock carriers twice as likely to be declared an accidental economic loss as other cargo ships. A February 2025 review concluded that the fleet remains ageing and at higher than average risk: of 117 vessels worldwide only 24 were built since 2000, and from 2015 to 2024 there were more than 12 casualty incidents a year on average, mostly machinery failures.

Individual incidents are grim. The Uniceb was lost in the Indian Ocean in 1996 with 67,488 sheep. The Danny F II capsized in the Mediterranean in December 2009, losing many crew and over 20,000 animals. On 2 September 2020 about 6,000 cattle and 41 crew died when the Gulf Livestock 1 was lost in the East China Sea; two crew survived. In 2024 the Al Kuwait, with 19,000 cattle aboard, was stuck at Cape Town, where several died and eight were euthanized.

Welfare questions and regulation

Use of the ships is controversial, mainly because of effects on farm animals and the risk of spreading disease. Animal welfare and rights groups have criticized them and many call for a ban. One review cited higher mortality rates, heat stress, noise, ammonia and disease transmission between regions, among other issues. The 1996 Uniceb loss led groups such as Compassion in World Farming to campaign against the trade.

National authorities that permit import or export regulate the ships closely, in particular to limit infectious disease. In April 2024 the livestock carrier Sarah M was refused entry to Ireland after it was registered with the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and so fell under EU sanctions.

Where to read more

For the Australian trade that has driven many of these ships, see the Australian live export article. For broader cattle coverage, visit the ranching section on farm.FM, or read a farm.FM story on live cattle exports.