VASCO
The Mormugao Port Trust witnessed anxious moments as a ship with over 2000 passengers which had arrived on Sunday was denied permission to dock after one of the crew had tested positive after an antigen test.
Authorities swung into action and ordered RT-PCR tests for all passengers and crew of the cruise ship MV Cordelia Empress.
The government also directed that the ship will not be allowed to dock at MPT till all the passengers and crew were subjected to RTPCR tests.
Senior manager of JM Baxi company Govind Pernulkar said the ship had around 2017 people on board and the vessel had arrived from Mumbai.
Pernulkar, however, denied the rumours that many of the passengers on the ship were positive and added that only one crew had tested positive after an antigen test.
"The cruise ship arrived at MPT as per it's normal routine every week. We got information at around 9.30 am that a crew had developed some symptoms for the last two days and was subjected to an antigen test on board and he tested positive. He was kept in isolation as a precautionary measure”, he said.
Pernulkar also disclosed that the authorities refused permission for the ship to dock and kept it in anchorage.
As per SOPs the authorities have decided that the ship will be got on berth and that the positive crew member will be shifted to a Covid hospital", he said.
As per government instruction, all people on board will have to undergo RT-PCR tests. Necessary arrangements have been made and a medical team of around 20 people will arrive on board for the tests.
“We will take all the necessary precautions and only once we get the results of the RTPCR tests of all the passengers and crew, we will decide on the next step of getting people off the ship", Pernulkar said.
