Repairs falter for livestock ship in WA

A ship carrying 13,000 sheep and cattle that has been stranded in Perth for a week after an engine problem will take longer than expected to repair, angering animal welfare activists.

The MV Ocean Outback was leaving Fremantle for Israel on December 29 when one of its two engines developed a cylinder malfunction.

Repairs were expected to be completed this week, while additional fodder and chaff were loaded onto the vessel, which is owned by Wellard Live Exports but under charter by Otway Livestock Exports.

But on Tuesday, Wellard said technicians on Monday encountered previously undetectable issues that could not be rectified using mobile equipment.

"As the repairs will take longer than anticipated and cannot be undertaken in Australia, the original plan to repair the second engine and sail to Israel is no longer the preferred solution," a spokesman said.

Wellard is now investigating alternative options with its stakeholders but insists the animals, which include about 7400 sheep and 5600 feeder cattle, remain in good condition.

But World Animal Protection head of campaigns Nicola Beynon says the continued delays are a serious concern.

"While industry may claim that animal welfare is not compromised by the situation, long distance transport for live animals always compromises animal welfare and delays like this naturally compound the risks," she said.

Wellard briefly held the MV Ocean Ute off Broome for two days as a precaution, but the vessel was later released to its previous assignment of shipping cattle from Townsville to Vietnam.