On Tuesday the Stella Deneb completed unloading operations for the last of 23,372 cattle at the Indonesian port of Panjang, eclipsing the previous record of 22,184 head set by the same vessel in October.

The consignment of steers, heifers, cows and bulls were loaded last week in Townsville (14,166 head) and Darwin (9,206 head) and disembarked at the Indonesian ports of Cigading, Jakarta and Panjang.

Chairman of Siba Ships, the company that owns and operates the Stella Deneb, Mauro Balzarini, said the inclusion of Cigading, a deep-water port which is not limited by draught restrictions like some other Indonesian destinations, meant the Stella Deneb could be loaded to its rated capacity.

A different mix of cattle had also contributed to the record result, enabling an extra 1200 head to be loaded beyond the previous record. Mr Balzarini said the live export industry was as important to the consumers in the Middle East and South-East Asia who rely on live animal imports as a protein source for their families as it is to North Australian cattle producers.

“We should be proud of this new milestone,” he said.

Steve Meerwald, managing director of Wellard Rural Exports which supplied the bulk of the cattle on the shipment said while the record was a significant achievement, the number and condition of the cattle that walked off the vessel was his company’s measure of success.

“The fact that this record shipment met all of our standards and the cattle gained weight during the voyage is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of everyone involved,” he said.

The logistics involved with aggregating, transporting, loading and shipping more than 23,000 cattle were huge, and equally so for the Indonesian importers receiving the consignment at the other end.

Meanwhile, the MV Becrux, the world’s most technologically advanced livestock vessel, will load about 18,000 cattle out of Darwin in mid-August, bound for Indonesia.