Coronavirus-hit Vega Dream ore carrier sets sail off WA for Philippines after outbreak on board

Coronavirus-hit Vega Dream ore carrier sets sail off WA for Philippines after outbreak on board
Tabarak Al Jrood and Laura Birch 15 October 2020 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-15/coronavirus-hit-vega-dream-ship-s...

The coronavirus-infected Vega Dream iron ore ship has set sail for the Philippines after leaving its anchorage off WA's Pilbara coast, as the maritime union claims Australian workers were potentially exposed after using a bucket to pass items back and forth.

WA's Heath Department said the bulk carrier was given clearance to depart last night by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

A total of seven crew members from the vessel, which was anchored 22 nautical miles off the state's coast, had tested positive for COVID-19.

Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) WA secretary Christy Cain said some of the ship's crew had direct contact with BHP's day shift employees after it docked in Port Hedland.

"What they've been doing is using a bucket over the side of the vessel, passing iPads and paperwork down to BHP employees, and you can imagine [coronavirus] can be passed on then in respect to those employees going back into the workplace," he said.

He called for mining companies to adopt better policies to protect the public from possible COVID-19 infections.

"They need to have proper procedures in place before the vessel comes alongside, proper procedures in place when the vessel is overseas with the relevant health authorities and proper procedures in place to make sure West Australians are safe," he said.

It is understood the failure of an automated data transfer system forced BHP workers to manually collect documents from the ship.

BHP declined to comment, although it is understood the incident took place before any indication of a suspected case of coronavirus among the Vega Dream's crew.

The WA Government has already called for Commonwealth help to ensure no more infected crew members board ships in Manila headed for the state.

On Monday, the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy said some of its members were talking to shipping agents about the possibility of sourcing crews from ports other than Manila.
Deep clean procedures given to ship

The first infected crew member was taken off the ship to isolate in Port Hedland on Sunday and is now completing their hotel quarantine in Perth.

Six of his colleagues were confirmed to have coronavirus the following day but remained in isolation in their quarters on the Vega Dream.

Health officials said they did not require medical intervention.

Prior to departing, the ship was given advice by public health experts on infection prevention and control.

The shipping agent was also offered access to the Health Department's vessel deep-cleaning plans, previously used in the response to outbreaks on board the Artania cruise ship and Al Kuwait livestock carrier at Fremantle Port and the Patricia Oldendorff cargo ship at Port Hedland.

The Vega Dream was the second ship in two weeks to arrive at Port Hedland carrying the virus.

The manganese carrier Patricia Oldendorff left WA waters on the weekend after the majority of its infected crew recovered from the virus.

Meanwhile, the Health Department confirmed a woman in her 20s who travelled to Perth from England had tested positive to the virus, taking the state total to 704.