KEY live sheep ships that have been out of action thanks to months of hold-ups, court cases and bureaucracy, will start loading sheep again as soon as this week.
The three Kuwait Livestock Transport and Trading (KLTT) ships; the Al Kuwait, the Al Shuwaikh and the Al Messilah have all been unable to load sheep as they did not comply with new maritime regulations surrounding livestock sewage tanks and pumping arrangements.
They are part of a fleet of eight ships that handle the bulk of the live sheep trade to the Middle East.
Last year KLTT won a Federal Court case challenging the validity of marine orders issued by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) that required livestock sewage holding tanks and pumps be placed on foreign flagged vessels.
KLTT argued the vessels were certified according to international regulations governing livestock sewage pollution prevention.
However the ruling was subsequently appealed by AMSA and the appeal was upheld by the full bench of the Federal Court
General manager of KLTT subsidiary Rural Export and Trading, Mike Gordon, said the ships were now in the process of being modified then approved by AMSA after being delayed for up to a month .
Mr Gordon said the Al Shuwaikh was expected to start loading from the Victorian port of Portland this week.
The other two vessels, the Al Messilah would likely be loading from ports in both the west and the east of the country within a couple of weeks, while the Al Kuwait was likely to be loading within the month.
“It has been a frustrating and involved process but we have finally found a way forward through this issue,” Mr Gordon said.
*Extract of report in Stock & Land, March 26.
