16 Crew Members Confirmed COVID-19 Positive on Russian Vessel at Gamcheon Port (Update)

Published 23 Jun.2020 14:17(KST)

Health Authorities Suspect Former Captain Who Showed Fever Symptoms a Week Ago as Infection Source

On the 23rd, a crew member is holding a mobile phone on board the Russian-flagged refrigerated cargo ship A (3,401 tons) docked at Gamcheon Port in Busan. Among the 21 people on the ship, including the captain, 16 tested positive for COVID-19. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Sixteen Russian crew members who were unloading cargo after docking at Gamcheon Port in Busan tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

According to Busan City on the 23rd, 16 out of 21 crew members aboard the Russian-flagged refrigerated cargo ship A (3,933 tons) tested positive for COVID-19.

Currently, 61 people have been identified as close contacts of the confirmed cases. Among them, 34 members of the Busan Port Workers' Union who boarded ship A to perform unloading operations were classified as primary contacts. Six repair workers who moved between ship A and the nearby Russian-flagged refrigerated cargo ship B (3,970 tons), along with pilots, cargo inspectors, unloading company personnel, and public officials from the seafood quality control department, totaling 27 people, were classified as secondary contacts.

The city plans to impose self-quarantine measures on close contacts and conduct COVID-19 diagnostic tests.

Ship A departed from Vladivostok Port in Russia and arrived at Busan Port at 10 a.m. on the 19th. It was confirmed to have docked at Gamcheon Port at 8 a.m. two days later, on the 21st.

The quarantine office reported receiving a notification from the ship agency that the former captain of ship A showed symptoms such as fever about a week ago, disembarked in Russia, and was later confirmed positive. The quarantine office believes that the former captain who disembarked in Russia is likely the source of the infection.