A seafarer has died of an unidentified “infectious, viral disease” onboard a product tanker currently under quarantine at El Ferrol, La Coruña, Spain.
The man, an Indian national, died from what is thought to be a cardiac seizure on August 2, while working as a chef onboard the Granato (7,071 dwt, built 2000), owned and managed by Italy’s Finbeta.
An autopsy determined the cause of death to be a contagious disease, but tests are still ongoing to identify the specific condition, according to reports in the Spanish press.
The court in Vigo, Spain ordered the vessel to be put under quarantine for one or two days while medical test results are produced for the remaining seafarers.
Fourteen crew are onboard the vessel, including Italian, Indian, Filipino and Romanian nationals. News reports say they have sufficient food onboard and have not required any medical assistance since being quarantined.
The vessel radioed for medical assistance while underway from Leixões, Portugal. The ship has called at 10 European ports since the start of June, including Rotterdam and Antwerp, and was making its way to the Atlantic Forest chemical plant at El Ferrol, where it was to load methanol.
