Russian metals producer Nornicker reported on Tuesday that an engineer onboard one of its freighters, the Norilskiy Nickel, has tested positive for COVID-19; Therefore, the company disembarked the whole crew, sanitized the vessel and embarked a replacement crew.
Specifically, the company stated that the vessel was sailing from Murmansk to Dudinka along Russia’s Northern Sea Route, where it called in Arkhangelsk.
Arriving at the port, the engineer received notification that he had traveled in a train with an individual who was possibly infected. Then, the engineer was disembarked and transmitted to a medical facility for evaluation and tested positive for COVID-19.
The company now observes all crew and waits for the results of testing for the other crewmembers. However, the company departed for Dudinka with a replacement crew.
Nornickel commented that at the port “contacts of coastal services and ship crews are completely excluded, ladders are not allowed to be lowered“.
