Australian sheep and cattle from stranded ship finally unloaded

Thousands of sheep and cattle that were stuck on a ship for weeks after being diverted from the Red Sea have now been unloaded back in Australia.

All of the livestock that were on the Bahijah have been discharged at the port of Fremantle, the Australian government said in a statement on Wednesday. About 16,000 animals were loaded onto the ship in early January bound for the Middle East, but were subsequently turned back amid security risks in the Red Sea and then held off Fremantle before a request to re-export them was rejected.

The period the sheep and cattle spent at sea brought concerns over livestock shipments, which Australia is seeking to phase out, back into the public spotlight. Some 81 of the animals died on the Bahijah or on land, while the remainder have been trucked to premises in Western Australia, the government said. What happens to them next is “a commercial decision for the exporter,” it said.