Wellard

Name

Wellard

Legal name

Wellard Limited

Website

https://wellard.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wellard was an Australian livestock vessel operator that chartered purpose-built ships for global transport of cattle and sheep. Founded in 1979, it ceased shipping operations in August 2025 and delisted from the ASX in November 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Livestock Transport

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311), Ship and Boat Building (33661)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Cargo Vessels (Cement/Asphalt/Woodchip/Live-Animal) Shipbuilding (IMAJAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dry Bulk Ocean Shipping (Capesize/Panamax/Handysize) (TLADAKAA)

Keywords

• Livestock vessel chartering
• Purpose-built livestock shipping
• Live cattle export
• Maritime livestock transport
• Live animal export services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fremantle

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Livestock Vessel Chartering: Wellard charters its purpose-built livestock vessels to exporters and importers for transporting cattle, sheep, and other livestock. Vessels are chartered for specific voyages, with charter rates based on vessel size, voyage duration, and route. The company transitioned to charter-only operations in 2019, ceasing its exporter/trader activities.
2. Livestock Trading (Discontinued): Wellard previously bought and sold cattle and sheep as a principal, recording full revenue from livestock sales. This vertical integration was discontinued in June 2019 when the company became exclusively a chartering company.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Wellard chartered purpose-built livestock vessels to exporters and importers globally, providing specialized long-haul livestock transport services for cattle and sheep. The company transitioned from a vertically integrated exporter/trader to a charter-only business in 2019 and ultimately concluded its livestock shipping operations in August 2025 with the sale of its final vessel, M/V Ocean Drover.

Product overview

Wellard was a livestock shipping and trading company operating purpose-built, technologically advanced vessels for global livestock transport. The company offered livestock vessel chartering services and live animal export (cattle and sheep) to markets worldwide including Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Middle East, and South America. Its core fleet included M/V Ocean Drover, M/V Ocean Swagman, M/V Ocean Shearer, and M/V Ocean Ute. The company also maintained the Wellao joint venture for Chinese market development. In August 2025, Wellard completed the sale of its final vessel and exited livestock shipping operations, transitioning to capital stewardship before delisting from the ASX in November 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Livestock Vessel Chartering Services Chartering of purpose-built livestock vessels to exporters, importers, and governments globally for specialized long-haul livestock transport with expert crew and optimal animal welfare outcomes.
• Wellao Joint Venture (China Operations) Wholly-owned Chinese subsidiary developing feedlots and abattoir infrastructure in China for processing Australian cattle, supporting beef cattle market development and supply chain integration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.9% cattle delivery success rate and 99.8% sheep delivery success rate in FY2020
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and minor.

• Fulida GroupstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellard signed joint venture in China with Fulida Group for the Wellao venture to develop feedlots and abattoir in China for processing cattle trade.
• Ausvision Rural Services / Livestock Shipping ServicesminorOthersPurchased Wellard's Wongan Hills feed mill and Baldivis Pre-Export Quarantine lease on a going-concern basis. Also acquired Beaufort River Meats abattoir after original buyer defaulted.
• Elders Rural Services Australia LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU signed for procurement of Australian cattle commencing in 2019. Intended to provide greater certainty for suppliers, customers and the Company.
• Nova Marine Carriers SA (Switzerland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrim Shipping SA, a subsidiary of Nova Marine Carriers SA of Lugano, Switzerland, was initially considered for purchase of MV Ocean Swagman at US$25.2 million, but condition precedent was not fulfilled by deadline.
• International Meats Pty LtdminorOthersPurchased Beaufort River Meats (BRM) abattoir in Western Australia from Wellard after original sales agreement was defaulted upon.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Awassi Live Exports: Australian live sheep exporter focused on the Middle East, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, with seasonal demand peaks around religious festivals. Closely comparable to Wellard's sheep export business and direct competitor on Australia-Middle East livestock vessel charters.
• Rural Export & Trading Western Australia (RETWA): Western Australian livestock exporter with established positions in the live cattle trade from Australia to Indonesia, Vietnam, and other South East Asian markets. Competes directly with Wellard in the South East Asian feeder and slaughter cattle segments and shares the Fremantle operational base.
• Halleen Australasian Livestock Traders: Australian livestock trading and exporting firm active in dairy and beef cattle exports to China and South East Asia. Comparable to Wellard's livestock trading operations that were wound down in 2019 and to its Chinese market development via the Wellao JV.
• Al Mawashi Limited: Kuwaiti publicly listed livestock trading and shipping company and one of the largest exporters of sheep from Australia to the Middle East. Controlled Livestock Transport & Trading Co KSC, which purchased Wellard's M/V Ocean Shearer for US$53M in 2020. Operates purpose-built livestock vessels on similar Australia-Middle East trade routes, directly comparable in business model and customer base.
• Kuwait Livestock Transport and Trading Company (KLTT): Kuwait-based livestock trading and shipping company controlled by Al Mawashi. A core Wellard charter customer and the acquirer of M/V Ocean Shearer for US$53M, operating comparable purpose-built livestock tonnage on the same Australia-Middle East routes as Wellard historically served.
• North Australian Cattle Company (NACC): Australian live cattle exporter operating Northern Australian supply chains into Indonesia and Vietnam. Comparable to Wellard in target customer base (South East Asian feedlots and processors) and similar exposure to Indonesian government-mandated beef pricing dynamics and Indian buffalo meat competition.
• Australian Rural Exports (Austrex): Australian livestock export company specialising in dairy and beef cattle shipments to China, Russia, the Middle East, and South East Asia. Direct competitor in the breeding cattle export niche where Wellard served the Sri Lanka dairy heifer program and Chinese beef herd development.

Broad incumbents

• Elders Rural Services Australia Ltd: Major ASX-listed Australian agribusiness with livestock procurement, marketing, and export activities. Wellard signed an MOU with Elders in 2018 for Australian cattle procurement; Elders provides a much broader rural services portfolio but competes in the upstream livestock supply chain that fed Wellard's exporter business.

Regional players

• Göktaşlar Et: Turkish meat processor and livestock trading company that acquired Wellard's remaining live animal transport shipping capacity for US$51M in October 2025. Comparable as a buyer/operator in the South America-Turkey livestock trade route and now a direct holder of capacity formerly operated by Wellard.

Others

• Heytesbury Holdings Company: Australian private investment vehicle (Paul Holmes à Court) that held an 11.42% stake in Wellard and purchased M/V Ocean Swagman via a US$22M sale-and-leaseback in 2019. Operates Heytesbury Cattle Co across 2.5 million hectares. Comparable as a financial/strategic counterparty in the live export ecosystem rather than a direct shipping competitor.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wellard-rural-exports-pty-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wellard