Livestock Carrier

A livestock carrier is a specialized cargo ship built to transport live animals, most commonly sheep and cattle, over long ocean voyages, typically fitted with multiple internal decks to maximize the number of animals carried and equipped with dedicated ventilation, feed, water and waste-management systems to keep the animals alive and reasonably healthy for the duration of the voyage. Built in response to sustained international demand for live animal exports, particularly from exporting countries such as Australia to markets in the Middle East and elsewhere where importers prefer to slaughter animals locally according to religious or logistical requirements, livestock carriers represent a distinct and specialized category of merchant vessel built around animal welfare and biosecurity needs rather than conventional dry or liquid cargo handling. The type has also been the subject of ongoing public and regulatory scrutiny over animal welfare conditions during long voyages, prompting some exporting countries to tighten standards or restrict certain routes and seasons for livestock shipping.