Australian livestock ship owner and operator Wellard Group added to its fleet Ocean Shearer, a livestock carrier, on April 28. COSCO shipyard is its builder.

Ocean Shearer is an improved version of Wellard's flagship, Drover, according to the company.

The vessel has the capacity to transport 20,000 cattle or 75,000 sheep or a combination of both, and is suited to trans-hemisphere routes. Additionally, the vessel's fodder capacity is 3,000t.

With its gross tonnage of 36,028t, the livestock carrier measures a length of 189,3 meters and a width of 31 meters.

Wellard CEO Mauro Balzarini noted that the size and speed of Ocean Shearer provide voyage flexibility as well as economies of scale taking into account that markets expand and distances increase.