2 Covid-stricken vessels barred entry from Bicol port
THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rushed on Tuesday to isolate two Philippine-registered vessels—a tugboat and a barge—that came from Indonesia after it was confirmed that 12 of the crewmen on board both vessels tested positive for Covid-19.
The towing vessel MT Clyde and barge Claudia berthed a kilometer away from the Lidong Port in the town of Sto. Domingo, Albay at around 7:20 a.m. on Tuesday and were immediately put under strict security and monitoring by PCG personnel.
“The Philippine Coast Guard has deployed a security team in order to ensure that no crew members could leave and disembark from the vessels and no watercraft could get near them,” PCG said in a news statement issued on Tuesday, adding steps are being taken to prevent the possible spread of the virus.
PCG spokesman Commodore Armand Balilo said the MT Clyde and its towed barge Claudia, which was carrying 8,000 metric tons of steam coal, also docked in Butuan City, Agusan de Norte prior to his voyage to Albay. Twenty crewmen, including the captain, Francisco Vargas, originally manned both vessels.
The two vessels and its crew came from Indonesia, where there has been a reported spike in Covid-19 cases due to the more contagious delta variant, and docked in Butuan City, even as the government had earlier banned the entry into the country of travelers from Indonesia.
According to Balilo, while Covid tests were administered to the crewmen, it was only found out that 12 of the vessels’ crews were positive for the virus after they have already left the port and the vessels were already en route to Albay. One of the crewmembers, however, disembarked in Butuan City, right after it was found out that he was found positive of the virus.
The situation aboard the towing vessel and the barge alarmed the PCG and health officials, which put the two vessels and its voyage toward Albay under strict monitoring.
On Sunday, Vargas, the master of two vessels, informed PCG personnel in Albay that they were already in the waters of Western Samar, adding that the 19 crew members are all physically safe and sound, including himself.
“A total of 12 of his crew members are confirmed positive for Covid-19, but they are all asymptomatic and in good health condition. However one of his crewmembers, also positive for Covid-19,” Balilo said.
“Towing vessel, MT Clyde and barge Claudia arrived at the Port of Butuan in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte from Indonesia on 14 July 2021 at around 12:30 p.m. and left the next day at around 7:00 p.m.,” Balilo added.
He said that while the vessels were at the Butuan port, the crewmen underwent RT-PCR tests for Covid-19, but “unfortunately, while the vessels were already at sea en route to Albay, they were informed that 12 of them are positive for Covid-19.”
Balilo said a medical officer was among the PCG security and monitoring team securing the two vessels and the crewmen to provide medical assistance should it be needed by the men on board.
The PCG and the Office of Civil Defense—region 5 based in Legaspi City, Albay, were meeting to discuss emergency measures and assistance to the vessels and its crewmen.