Ten a pen on cattle ship

Meeting demand to deliver high volumes of livestock in first class condition to long distance markets has been a guiding principle behind the design of Becrux ? one of the largest custom built livestock vessels ever built.

The 176.7m Becrux, is operating on the Australia to Middle East trade. It sailed on its maiden voyage from Fremantle to the Arabian Gulf in mid-June.

State-of-the-art automated ventilation, feeding and watering systems, wider spaces between decks and a 20 knot service speed are appealing features for live animal exporters seeking to preserve a reputation as premium suppliers.

The $40 million vessel, built at the state-owned Uljanik Shipyards in Croatia was delivered to its owner, Siba Ships of Italy, at the end of May.

There are two bigger ships which carry livestock from Australia, but these were converted from car carriers rather than being custom built like Becrux.

Becrux, which has a 40-member crew consisting of an Italian captain, Indian officers and Filipino deckhands, is operated by Fremantle, Australia-based Wellard Rural Exports, which is one of five major players in Australia?s live animal trade.

Australia supplies about seven million of the 20 million sheep sold into the Middle East each year.

Stephen Meerwald, general manager for Wellard Rural Exports, says it is becoming increasingly important to use vessels that ensure maximum comfort for animals.

“We are very positive about the future of demand for selling meat in this way which is very important because of its religious significance,” says Meerwald.

The nine-deck dual purpose Becrux has a carrying capacity of 75,000 sheep of an average weight of 50kg in 779 pens, or 14,000 cattle of 470kg average weight in 1,416 pens ? or a combination of both ? on an area of 24,000m2.

The ship has five closed and four open decks which each have 2.4m spaces between them to allow better management of stock and air flow for the animals.

Cargo ventilation

Becrux?s automated ventilation system has been cited as a valuable tool for enhancing animal comfort, however it did not prevent the deaths of around 900 head of cattle aboard the vessel en route to Dammam, Saudi Arabia on its maiden voyage.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia and the Australian Livestock Export Corporation (Livecorp) are investigating why the cattle died.

Newspaper reports have said the cattle may not have been able to cope with extreme and rapid temperature changes as the vessel moved from cold temperatures in southern Australia to the extreme heat of the Middle East.

Meerwald says he does not wish to comment until the investigations by the appropriate authorities are completed.

He says Becrux?s fan forced ventilation system changes the air inside the vessel as much as 100 times an hour on the enclosed decks.

On the higher more open decks ventilation is exchanged 60 times an hour.

This is way above the minimum requirements set by Australia?s port state control body, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is about 40 air changes per hour.

“The vessel meets and exceeds all AMSA requirements, which are the world?s highest with respect to animal welfare and comfort,” says Meerwald.

Built for speed

Meerwald says the vessel?s 20 knot service speed provides another bonus in that the cargo reaches its destination in the Gulf about three days earlier than on other, slightly slower, livestock carriers on the trade.

Mauro Balzarini, managing director of Siba Ships, says Becrux?s hull design is derived from a series of car carriers that Uljanik has built for Krupp, Divi Line and Grimaldi.

The vessel is 176.7m in length, is 31.1m wide, and has a summer draught of 8.2m on 13,400 dwt.

Becrux has a 30,000 gross registered tonnage, an 11,000 net registered tonnage and a Suez registered tonnage of 34,000 (gross) or 31,500 (net).

Corrosion resistance

The conventional monohull is constructed out of mild steel while aluminium and stainless steel is used in every area of the cargo hold that is exposed to animals.

Many fittings such as fodder pipes and washing pipes and the rails surrounding the animal pens are built out of stainless steel to avoid the problems with corrosion that commonly exist on livestock carriers.

Balzarini says all systems specifically made for animals such as fodder tanks and fodder distribution system, water distribution and production, the ventilation of cargo holds and drainage system were designed and built at Uljanik Shipyards.

Becrux is registered to the Panamanian company Sussex Shipping and is classed by Italian society Rina.

Main propulsion power is given by a MAN B&W 7S50MC-C main engine, with an output of 11,060kW at 127 rev/min.

Becrux?s diesel generating capacity consists of two 1,280kW MAN B&W 8L23/30 engines and two 1,120kW MAN B&W 7L23/30 engines. A secondary source of power is provided by a fifth generator, a MAN B&W 6L23/30.

The ship has 1,000kW LIPS bow thrusters.

Fuel and feed

Fuel capacity is 1,934m3 of IFO 180 with daily consumption amounting to about 45t a day. Diesel oil capacity is 178m3.

Purpose built horizontal and vertical conveyers have been installed to supply 100t of feed daily to the livestock and fresh water.

Fodder capacity of 5,200m3 is distributed through an automatic feeding system into the three troughs provided in each livestock pen.

Four reverse osmosis plants (desalinators) with capacity to produce 600,000 litres of drinking water daily serve the automatic watering system which is distributed with a float in the troughs in each pen.

Two 12m movable loading ramps located forward and aft of the ship provide access to Becrux?s nine decks. There are loading passages port and starboard on decks six, seven, eight and nine. There are also two hydraulic 3t SWL 20m main deck cranes.

“This is a milestone for the industry,” says Meerwald. “It is the first time such a large vessel has been custom built rather than converted from an existing vessel.”

Founded in 1856 in the bay of Pula as a shipyard of the Austro Hungarian Navy, Uljanik is one of the oldest shipyards in the world. Siba selects, feeds, transports and markets livestock, including cattle (all breeds), sheep and horses, to customers in the Middle East, north Africa, south-east Asia and Europe.