Coronavirus scare: Tuticorin port officials deny rumours of negligence in handling ship that had called on Chinese ports

MADURAI: Panama-flagged vessel ‘RU YI I’ that had called on four ports in China before it was berthed at V O Chidambaranar Port in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin on February 14 left for Mumbai on Sunday morning after unloading cargo.
Port officials denied rumours of negligence on their part in handling the ship in the wake of the coronavirus (nCoV) scare.
The 143-meter-long vessel had earlier called on four ports in China – Hong Kong (January 13), Xiamen (January 15), Shanghai (January 19) and Taicang (January 28) – before it berthed at Singapore on February 7. The 19 crew members on board included 15 Chinese nationals and four from Myanmar.
According to a senior port official, the agents of a ship would get information on various aspects, including the number of crew on board, their nationality and recent ports called on by the vessel, when it comes to a port side and share it with the port officials. “The ship reached the port outer area at 1pm on February 13. The people on board were subjected to tests as per standard operating procedures for ships that had called on China,” the official told TOI.
Port health officer P Poornima boarded ‘RU YI I’ and conducted necessary tests on the crew and gave clearance before the ship was allowed to berth at the port around 2pm on February 14.
If there had been a slightest symptom of nCoV in anyone on board the ship, it would not have been allowed to enter the port, the official said. “Landing permit was denied to Chinese nationals and foreign nationals who had been to China on the ship,” he said.
The vessel started unloading windmill towers, blades and accessories on February 15. It left the port around 6am on Sunday.