The livestock carrier Al Kuwait, operated by Kuwait Livestock Transport & Trading, was placed in quarantine after arriving at the Port of Fremantle, Australia in late May with six crew members who later tested positive for COVID-19. The ship, which has a capacity for 20,000 cattle or 75,000 sheep, or a combination of both, is considered the largest vessel of its kind in the world and was calling at Fremantle to load livestock for transport back to the Middle East.
The harbor pilot who guided the vessel in was reportedly wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) but several later visitors to the ship were not, sparking a quick contact tracing effort by the Western Australia Department of Health.