Sanmar Shipping crude tanker quarantined at Vizhinjam after crew tests Covid-19 positive
DURBAN : A crude oil tanker owned by Sanmar Delivery Ltd has been quarantined at Vizhinjam Port for 14 days from Monday after 5 crew members on the ship have been examined Covid-19 optimistic, whereas making an attempt to hold out crew change.
‘M T Sanmar Songbird’ sailed from Vadinar port in Gujarat on April 28 to Durban in South Africa.
Nonetheless, on April 28 a crew died as a result of Covid, off the coast of Mangalore and so the ship sailed to New Mangalore Port Belief to disembark the physique citing suspected coronary heart assault as the reason for demise. The ship additionally signed off two extra crew members at New Mangalore Port.
On 2 Could, Covid-19 assessments have been carried out on the three crew members together with the deceased crew. They have been discovered to be optimistic on 3 Could, however by that point the ship had sailed out of New Mangalore Port.
The ship then diverted to Vzhinjam to hold out crew change and the ship’s native agent Dowins Sources Pvt Ltd requested the Port Well being Organisation to hold out the duty citing medical emergency allegedly suppressing the truth that the crew members have been Covid-19 optimistic.
However, 5 crew members who disembarked from the ship after log out have been discovered to be optimistic upon testing.
“The ship’s agent tried to hold out crew change citing medical emergency by allegedly concealing the truth that the crew on board have been COVID optimistic,” stated a Port Well being Organisation (PHO) official.
This can be a punishable offence underneath the Catastrophe Administration Act and people concerned in committing such critical lapses in coping with the on-board detection of Covid-19 optimistic circumstances are liable to be prosecuted, he stated.
An order issued by the Directorate Normal of Delivery on March 20, 2020 states that: “If the maritime declaration of well being given by the grasp is discovered to be incorrect and never reflecting the factual situations of well being of individuals on board the vessel, the grasp is liable to be prosecuted as per relevant legal guidelines. All brokers of the vessel shall make sure that this data concerning attainable prosecution for incorrect declaration is clearly knowledgeable to the vessel earlier than its arrival at Indian Ports.”
“Please be told that motion could also be taken towards the Grasp and the brokers and ship homeowners for suppression of the actual fact that there have been crews with contagious illnesses on board underneath the Kerala Catastrophe Administration Act 2005 and Epidemic Illness Act 1897. By suppression of information, you’ve risked the lives of your crews, brokers and different port officers,” the Port Well being Officer at Cochin of the Central authorities’s Port Well being Organisation instructed the ship’s grasp in a letter written on Monday.
This to state that on examination of maritime declaration of well being, it has come to my discover that you just had hid information on the well being query within the Maritime Declaration of Well being dated Could 4, he wrote within the letter.
The Port Well being Officer stated that the ship’s grasp didn’t share the lifeless crew’s particulars and explanation for demise.
Apart from, there have been two individuals who examined optimistic and have been signed off at Mangalore seaport, however this was “hid.”
“Whilst you have been conscious of COVID -19 optimistic circumstances on board since you had examined all of your crews in Mangalore Port and identified for certain the Covid standing of the crews and this additionally you had hid from Port Well being Organisation, Cochin,” the Port Well being Officer stated.
Regardless of all these developments, 9 seafarers have been signed on the ship on Monday.
Source : The Hindu Business Line