DANISH shipping giant, AP Moller-Maersk has confirmed that crew members have been evacuated from the Gjertrud
Maersk and hospitalised in Ningbo, China, with suspected cases of the
coronavirus.
If confirmed, these would be the first reported cases of the coronavirus on board a container ship, reports American Shipper.
The 9,074 TEU Danish-flagged Gjertrud reportedly arrived at Ningbo from Hong Kong.
Maersk senior press officer in Denmark, Christian Kjaergaard-Winther,
said in an email to American Shipper that "a number of our seafarers" on
the container ship were suspected of having COVID-19 and were evacuated
from the ship and taken ashore for medical care.
"We are still awaiting the official report from authorities as well as
the hospital," Mr Kjaegaard-Winther said. "As per our established
protocols, the seafarers were isolated on the vessel when symptoms
appeared and we are providing medical treatment based on input from our
medical advisers."
He said Maersk was working with government and port authorities in Ningbo.
"The vessel was awaiting phasing into our network and currently idle at
the quayside in Ningbo, China," Mr Kjaergaard-Winther said. "Extra
precaution measures will be taken for crew replacement and sanitations
will be implemented."
Meanwhile, in a coronavirus update posted last Thursday, Vincent Clerc,
CEO of Maersk Ocean and Logistics, said measures taken by governments
and companies to mitigate the crisis will result in an economic slowdown
and that conversations with customers "confirm our expectation of lower
volume demand in the coming weeks".
Mr Clerc added: "We are actively preparing our network to match a
reduced demand level. We believe that it is our responsibility to
rightsize in order to protect our cost position, both to be able to
weather these storms but importantly also to ensure that you have a
partner who cares for the integrity of your supply chain as we look to
lifting the world out of this crisis."
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