Chemical/oil products tanker STI San Telmo (IMO 9794410) has been in Port Hawkesbury Anchorage off Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, on Canada’s eastern coast for more than a week because of concerns that several crew members might have contracted COVID-19.
Karl Risser, Atlantic inspector for the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), said late last week that one crew member on the STI San Telmo had tested positive and that he was quarantine in a Sydney, Nova Scotia hotel.
Risser said he had been told that another seven members of the crew had also tested positive for Covid-19.
The vessel had been sailing to Montreal from Antwerp, Belgium.
There was no confirmation on how many crew members were on board, but Risser said that an oil tanker of its size typically would have a crew of up to 22.
Transport Canada spokeswoman Cybelle Morin said last week that the federal department was aware “of potential cases of Covid-19” involving a foreign-flagged vessel.
Morin said that the vessel presented no risks to port personnel or marine safety and would be able to leave its anchorage only when the Public Health Agency of Canada agreed.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said the remaining crew on board were isolating on board the ship, adding that agency quarantine officers were monitoring the situation closely and receiving daily updates about the crew’s health status.
2017-built, Marshall Islands-flagged, 29,804 gt STI San Telmo is owned by SPDBFL No One One Two Shanghai care of manager Scorpio Commercial management of Monaco-Ville, Monaco. ISM manager is Scorpio Marine Management of Mumbai, India. It is entered with Britannia on behalf of SPDBFL No One One Two (Shanghai) Ship Leasing Company Ltd.