Pohang New Port COVID-19 Emergency... 12 Crew Members on Two Panama-Registered Ships Confirmed Positive

On the 10th, 5 crew members of a 100,000-ton raw material carrier tested positive
On the 12th-13th, 7 crew members of a coil carrier tested positive

A Panama-flagged cargo ship, whose crew members were collectively diagnosed with COVID-19, is docked at Pohang New Port in Gyeongbuk on the 10th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] A total of seven confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported on the Panama-flagged coil carrier KEN SPIRT (20,000 tons), which arrived at Pohang New Port in Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk.

According to health authorities on the 14th, the KEN SPIRT, which arrived on the 11th, had 21 crew members including the captain on board. Among these crew members, four Filipino nationals tested positive in the first COVID-19 test conducted by the National Pohang Quarantine Station on the 12th, and three additional cases were confirmed in a full inspection on the 13th.

A health official stated, "The 14 crew members who tested negative are under group quarantine in the ship's cabins," adding, "The confirmed cases have been transferred to government-designated isolation beds."

Earlier, on the 10th, five out of 21 crew members on the Odyssey, a Panama-flagged 100,000-ton raw material carrier docked at Pohang New Port, were confirmed positive for COVID-19.

As a result, the total number of crew members confirmed with COVID-19 after arriving at Pohang New Port has increased to 12.

Meanwhile, it is known that these confirmed crew members had no contact with outsiders except for quarantine officers who boarded the ship for COVID-19 testing. The vessels remain suspended from all operations until further instructions from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.