New Livestock Carrier Joins Wellards Fleet

Wellard Australian livestock ship owner and operator Wellard Group added to its fleet the M/V Ocean Shearer, a livestock carrier, on April 28.  The vessel was handed over to the company in Dalian, China after it was completed and commissioned by the COSCO shipyard. The M/V Ocean Shearer is an improved version of Wellards flagship, the M/V Drover, the company said. The vessel has the capacity to transport 20,000 cattle or 75,000 sheep or a combination of both, and is suited to trans-hemisphere routes. In addition, the vessels fodder capacity is 3,000 t. With its gross tonnage of 36,028t, the livestock carrier features a length of 189,3 meters and a width of 31 meters. Wellard CEO Mauro Balzarini noted that the size and speed of the Ocean Shearer provide voyage flexibility as well as economies of scale taking into account that markets expand and distances increase. Wellards fleet consists of five livestock carriers, including the newly built vessel. The company operates its fleet through its Singapore subsidiary, Wellard Ships.