Crew members test positive for Covid-19, vessel remains under lockdown
The vessel is currently under lockdown and Port Health has assigned a team to go onboard and check on the crew members.
ONE of the 14 crew members who tested positive for Covid-19 on a vessel, from India to the Durban Harbour, has been rushed to hospital after experiencing difficulty breathing.
This is according to Port of Durban, general manager, Moshe Motlohi who said that one of the 14 crew members was reported to be experiencing difficulty breathing and taken to hospital on Wednesday, 5 May leaving 13 infected members on board the vessel.
South African port landlord, Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) confirmed that the chief engineer of the Eaubonne vessel berthed at the Port of Durban on Sunday, 2 May passed away due to a heart attack.
“The Filipino crewed vessel was a 17 day direct from India to the Port of Durban. As a requirement for the next port call all crew members of the vessel Eaubonne were tested for Covid-19 protocols, the crew contact tracking is being undertaken.
“The vessel is currently under lockdown and Port Health has assigned a team to go onboard and check on the crew members.
“TNPA is responsible for ensuring that all vessels calling the port have been cleared by the relevant state organise namely, Port Health, Migration, MRCC and customs before entering or leaving the Port. TNPA is also tasked with ensuring compliance of safety of navigation of vessels, the safety of life and safety of the environment in the Port,” reads a statement from TNPA.
According to the department of health, the body of the deceased was subsequently transported to a state mortuary on Monday, 3 May for a post mortem and it was confirmed that he died due to cardiac arrest.
“Contact tracing proceeded for 21 crew members, of those 14 have been detected with Covid-19 and seven have tested negative. As all the members are asymptomatic, it was elected to keep all the crew on board in appropriate quarantine or isolation conditions. The vessel has been secured and is currently under strict security in its berth until authorities decide to move it to the outer anchorage under strict security until the containment period is successfully completed,” said Dr Zwelini Mkhize Minister of Health.
