A Norwegian cargo ship with cases of Covid-19 on board is due to arrive in Uusikaupunki on Finland’s west coast on Friday afternoon.
The Yara Nauma left the Estonian city of Sillamäe on Wednesday evening, where it had been docked since Monday. and of the 21 crew members on board 14 have been diagnosed with coronavirus. Estonian broadcaster ERR reports that two of them, believed to be Russian and Philippines crewmen, were taken off the ship for treatment in hospital in Estonia before departure.
The CEO of Yara Finland Tommi Hevonoja says there will be strict safety protocols in place when the ship docks and that if anyone needs extra medical assistance they will get it.
“It’s decided that the crew will stay on the ship so we will not let anyone outside the ship, and then they will unload the shipment and maximum one Yara person will be in the ship with the full protection and all the distances to make sure no contamination. When the ship is unloaded the ship will continue its traveling” Hevonoja tells News Now Finland.
“If there is serious case then medical authorities will take care of those, but I don’t have full knowledge of anyone needing immediate help” he adds.
It could take up to 12 hours for the ship to be unloaded at Uusikaupunki and although the next destination is supposed to be Norway, Tommi Hevonoja says that decision is up to the shipping company to make.
According to the Vessel Finder website, the Yara Nauma last docked at Uusikaupunki on 27th July and stayed for 30 hours before going to Sillamäe. It is not know if there were any crew members with symptoms at that time.
