After a closed-door meeting with the officials of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said on Friday in Lagos that it had come to terms with the report issued on Thursday by the NCDC on the six cases of Coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19, said to have been discovered on a vessel.
The Authority explained that its tweet on Thursday March 26, did not contradict the information released to the public by the NCDC but only sought to know full details of incident for purposes of record and better management in the future.
A statement signed by Jatto Adams, general manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications of the NPA, a copy of which was sent to BusinessDay, said that the tweet was initiated owing to the fact that NPA needed clarification to reassure its stakeholders, who raised concern over the announcement that six cases were found on a vessel when shipping companies, terminal operators, jetty operators did not witness any such passengers through their respective COVID-19 protocol.
According to him, the NCDC has now clarified that the six cases were discovered on an Oil Rig named Siem Marlin operating on the high sea, offshore Lagos and accessed by the Lagos State Government and the NCDC by Helicopter.
Stating that maritime stakeholders would not have been so apprehensive if the information was clear that the passengers were on a rig rather than vessel, he said that the clarification has renewed the confidence of stakeholders in the effectiveness of the processes put in place, which remains the principal objective of the Authority.
“The NPA and Ports Health Services have set clear protocols on the identification of sick people on vessels and the management of suspected and confirmed cases in line with best practices set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO),” he said.
He listed the protocol to include the Captain of any vessel with a sick person(s) on board must fly two yellow flags; that personnel of the Port Health Services will go into the vessel at berth, inspect it and in case where there is a person on board, they will quarantine the ship and immediately escalate to the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
Jatto further stated that the Ministry of Health will send an epidemiologist who will go on board with Port Health, take samples from the suspected sick person and then report to the NCDC.
“Given the fact that the maritime industry is central to the management of the pandemic worldwide, the Nigerian Ports Authority is committed to working with all other agencies of government to ensure the safety of all Nigerians,” he assured.
