UPDATED: A ship involved in a horse cargo incident is back on its way to Malta, as the owners insisted this morning that its crew had not been detained.

Nineteen out of 64 horses on the Med Patron died in stormy seas during transportation from Malta to Misurata in Libya.

But Josette Zammit from Patron Group, owners of the vessel, insisted its captain had advised against shipping the horses because of the rough seas last Tuesday, but the Italian representatives of the shipment insisted it should go ahead.

"Our ship was surveyed and approved by veterinary dept and certified to carry livestock. The captain tried to take the safest route and went round the bad weather. There were two shipper representatives onboard taking care of the horses."

Upon arrival in Libya, a number of horses were discovered dead, leading to a dispute between the shipper and consignee. Representatives of the company surrounded the cargo ship with other ships, as well as cars on the quay, and demanded €100,000 in compensation. The ship had to wait until a Libyan intermediate to pay the Libyan agency.

Initial reports said that a Maltese man and the ship were detained in Libya, a claim strongly denied by the ship owners.