Virus-hit barge, crew isolated in Albay

ALBAY. A team from the Philippine Coast Guard monitors the towing vessel MT Clyde and barge Claudia to ensure that no one gets off and only essential persons are allowed onboard. (From Philippine Coast Guard)
ALBAY. A team from the Philippine Coast Guard monitors the towing vessel MT Clyde and barge Claudia to ensure that no one gets off and only essential persons are allowed onboard. (From Philippine Coast Guard)

THE coronavirus-stricken towing vessel MT Clyde and barge Claudia have arrived in Albay, and the crewmembers onboard have been placed in isolation, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Tuesday, July 20, 2021.

One crewmember who got off the vessel in Butuan City and was later found positive for the virus has also been located and isolated.

The driver of the public transport vehicle that the crewmember took, a helper and all family members have been placed under quarantine by the local government unit (LGU), Vergeire said.

Other possible contacts were being traced, she added.

The other crewmembers are still onboard the barge.

“Binabantayan po sila ngayon ng Philippine Coast Guard. Walang magdi-disembark, walang papasok sa vessel kung hindi po sila yung essential na kailangan natin para mag-monitor sa ating mga crew members d’yan sa vessel,” Vergeire said.

The barge, which is carrying 8,000 metric tons of steam coal, had come from Indonesia, where the Covid-19 epidemic curve is almost vertical.

The vessel stopped over at the Port of Butuan in Butuan City on July 14, 2021, where all the 20 crew underwent a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for Sars-CoV-2.

Twelve were found positive for the virus.

Vergeire said they were cleared to leave Butuan for Albay.

In a statement, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Captain Francisco Vargas, vessel master, said all of the 11 coronavirus-positive crew who are still onboard are asymptomatic.

The PCG said Vargas assured them that they will not disembark without permission.

“Sinisiguro ng maritime security and monitoring team ng Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Station Albay na walang makakalapit na sasakyang pandagat dito at walang makakababa na crew, para ma-kontrol ang pagkalat ng nakakahawang virus,” the PCG said in a statement.

“Bahagi rin ng maritime security and monitoring team ang isang PCG medical officer para makapagbigay ng tulong medikal, kung kakailanganin ng mga tripulante,” it added.

Meanwhile, Vergeire said five of the 12 coronavirus-positive samples among the crew have been sent to the University of the Philippines Philippine Genome Center for whole genome sequencing to determine whether they were carrying a variant of concern. (Marites Villamor-Ilano / Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo)

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