Live export vessel ordered back to Australia because of Red Sea danger

But industry representatives say live export vessels to the Middle East will continue for now, with exporters monitoring the situation closely to ensure the safety of both people and animals aboard the ships.

The MV Bahijah, owned by Israeli company Basem Dabbah loaded cattle and sheep in Fremantle, Western Australia and departed for Jordan on January 5 but diverted away from the Red Sea on Friday, following a contingency plan set out before it sailed.

On Saturday afternoon the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry made the order the the ship should return to Australia, issuing a statement that said that decision had been made to ensure the health and welfare of the livestock aboard the MV Bahijah.

Tensions in the Red Sea have been rising since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The Yemen-based, Iran-funded Houthi movement began targeting commercial ships travelling on the major trade route, particularly those with ties to Israel, in mid-October.

Since MV Bahijah's departure from WA, conflict has continued to escalate, with the United States and United Kingdom launching air offensives in retaliation to Houthi attacks against international vessels.

News of MV Bahijah's changed route has now sparked anger from animal activists, who have linked the situation to their calls to end live export.

A registered veterinarian and an accredited stockperson are on board the vessel, which is also carrying extra fodder and veterinary supplies.

Australian Livestock Exporters' Council CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton said once the vessel had to divert from its initial shipping plan due to the Houthi attacks on freedom of navigation, it was initially due to head to South Africa while parties considered what options were available.

"From an industry perspective, what we have here is the Department of Agriculture doing the best option that is available to them in what was a pretty extraordinary set of circumstances," he said.

"At its time of departure, while things were escalating in the Red Sea, they weren't quite as bad as they are now and basically the decision was made to divert for security reasons.

"One possibility was to go around Africa, which would have made it make it quite a long voyage, but that wasn't the thing that perturbed DAFF, I don't think.

"Once you start picking up fodder in other destinations, it changes the health status of the consignment and I think in the end, the decision was made to turn it back to Australia while it still had enough fodder on board and implement the protocols around thats."

Mr Harvey-Sutton said he was disappointed with activists using the opportunity to try to call for the suspension of the live trade.

"That's very convenient for them to say and it's idealistic," he said.

"As soon as the tension started to rise in the Middle East, exporters had been following all government advice and regulation around shipping to the region.

"It's fair to say the government will be looking at each voyage on a case-by-case basis... each consignment is different and that will depend on which market it is heading to, what contingency plans they have in place and all those sorts of things.

"All ALEC members are taking this very seriously and looking at it.

"Ultimately they will have to weigh that up because one of the things that does happen during a period of heightened tensions is food security becomes more acute and of course that's one of the major reasons we do supply those markets in the Middle East."

The Department of Agriculture has said it will continue to consider future consignments to the Middle East on a case by case basis.