Another ancient livestock carrier has come in for media scrutiny. The Neameh anchored off East London in South Africa on Saturday to take 3,400 cattle to Dubai. However, the deal fell through and the cattle remain onboard the ship.

The Neameh, which sails under the Panamanian flag but is based in Jordan, was built in 1979 and was handed a $500,000 penalty for violating environmental laws in the US three years ago.

South African animal rights activists are trying to fight the trade in live animal exports to the Middle East.