The Cow Carrier Cargo Ship: Falconia - Port of Olympia Washington



Shipping 1500 head of dairy cows in the cargo section from the Port of Olympia, Washington to Vietnam.
The ship: Falconia.

Hello, my friends!

I am always interested in the cargo ships that visit the Port of Olympia, located in Budd Bay Inlet, near downtown Olympia. Which cargos will be loaded into the ships? Where are the ships' destinations? Where are the ships' home ports?

I often shoot at Budd Bay Inlet, and one late evening in November, I photographed a white ship docked at the Port. A few days later, that ship was featured in the local newspaper, The Olympian.

I had photographed a pretty white ship - under a sunset. From reading the article, I learned that I had photographed a cow carrier! I had never before given a thought about large cargo ships that were converted shipping live cows in the cargo section.  

 I am from a Southern city, and all the cows I had ever seen had thrived in green pastures; they were fed hay in the winter; and they looked charming in green pastures.

The white ship in the photograph above is the Falconia. On Tuesday, 17 November 2015, a crew loaded 1500 head of dairy cows into the stalls of the Falconia. The cows, the crew, and a veterinarian, disembarked from the Port of Olympia and began their 2 week journey to Vietnam. Once there the cows would be used to increase the milk supply to the people of Vietnam.

This journey that should last about 2 weeks.
Update: The captain has now changed course because of rough seas, and the ship is traveling south - seeking calmer weather closer to the Pacific coastline. So now the trip for the cows is expected to take about 3 weeks. Poor cows!!
Share if you like. Janie