Livestock carriers galore in Freo. Where are they going?

While we anguish over the fate of the livestock, mainly sheep, left on MV Bahijah as she anchors off Fremantle awaiting further instructions from someone, other livestock carriers come and go to and from the port of Fremantle.

Jawan. Arriving in Fremantle 1 May 2023, from Vietnam

MV Jawan, who sails under the flag of Panama, was in Freo recently, and indeed was alongside at the same time Bahijah was being taken through her paces in and out of Freo’s inner harbour. Where is Jawan now? you ask.

MV Bahijah and MV Jawan alongside in Fremantle, 1 February 2024

Well, she left Freo on 1 February, ostensibly for Aqaba, Jordan. According to Aqaba expected arrival lists, Jawan is expected to arrive there on 19 February.

Jawan’s last reported position on ship tracking apps is not much help as to her current position, as it is from over 3 days ago – off Western Australia’s NW Cape. Unless she’s anchored there, a most unlikely thing, she could be halfway up the coast of West Africa. It’s hard to imagine that she will head to Aqaba via the dangerous Red Sea, so one suspects she is going around the Cape of Good Hope, if not to Aqaba then to somewhere else in the Middle East not too far away. Perhaps Haifa? We will keep watch and keep making inquiries.

Al Messilah, Fremantle, 5 February 2024

The Al Messilah, another livestock carrier and frequent visitor to Fremantle, who sails under the flag of Kuwait, arrived in Fremantle yesterday 5 February, from Hambantota Port, Sri Lanka. No doubt she is here to load livestock. Where is she going then? you ask.

Possibly back to Sri Lanka, although we suspect more likely onwards from there to Kuwait, which is on the Persian Gulf, not the dangerous Red Sea. Again, we will keep watch and make inquires.

Finding ships that don’t want to be found is not easy. Consider this current image of ship movements around Africa, the Middle East and Asia!

In the meantime we await further reports on the fate of the Bahijah and her livestock cargo.

One assumes that once the cargo issue is resolved, there’d be nothing to prevent Bahijah taking on a fresh load of livestock in Freo and following the current journey of Jawan to wherever it is Jawan is headed. But who’d know?

If you do, do share!

* By Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping News

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