- Chemical tanker from the Cayman Islands is heading towards Western Australia (WA).
- Half of its 22 crew members infected with COVID. It is expected to arrive at Fremantle Port on Friday.
A recent news article published in the Loop states that half the crew on Cayman-registered chemical tanker have COVID 19.
Cayman Islands flag ship
The Stolt Sakura, which operates under the Cayman Islands flag, departed Singapore last week. The vessel had previously docked in South Korea, China and Taiwan before arriving in Singapore, and on Sunday some of the crew started complaining of flu-like symptoms. Rapid antigen testing has since returned 11 positive results.
“The WA Health Department and police will be working with relevant authorities, including the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Fremantle Port Authority in regard to this unfolding situation,” said WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson.
Managing COVID-riddled foreign ships
Authorities in WA are accustomed to managing COVID-riddled foreign ships, with ports emerging as the frontline in the battle to keep the virus out of WA.
According to media sources, a spate of infected ships arrived on WA shores over the winter and those that failed to properly mitigate the risk of outbreaks were threatened to be turned away.
This included the potential to even invoke rarely used powers to seize vessels that pose a threat to public health.
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Source: Cayman Loop News
