A holed and listing livestock carrier has been brought safely into port in Australia.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the 3,300-dwt Marshall Islands-flagged Barkly Pearl (built 1993) sustained damage to its hull and was 120km north of Geraldton en route from Fremantle when the authority became involved on Monday night.

Video footage showed a large hole in the side of the ship stretching below the water line, and an alarming list.