Yang Ming Marine Transport has refuted suggestions that the Taiwanese liner operator did not sufficiently stock one of its container ships with face masks after a crew member developed a fever.
Taiwanese media published excerpts from a letter purportedly written by the master of YM Enlightenment, a 4,662TEU ship that serves the transatlantic route.
On 6 May 2020, a crew member of YM Enlightenment developed a fever of 38.1 degrees and the ship, which was in Antwerp at the time, had run out of masks, according to the letter. Many ship owners have required vessel crew to don masks when in port, to protect themselves and others amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The YM Enlightenment master reportedly wrote, “The inventory is down to zero for masks. We risk being stopped halfway through our voyage. We request the company to send masks to us promptly.”
YM Enlightenment is manned by 18 Chinese nationals and two Taiwanese nationals. The unwell seafarer is a Chinese national.
The master’s letter suggested that Yang Ming arranged to deliver 400 masks to YM Enlightenment when the ship arrived in London on 8 May.
However, in a statement that Yang Ming’s spokesperson sent to Container News, the company denied the allegations raised in the purported letter, adding that the company has been concerned with the seafarer’s health.
The company explained, “When the crew member developed a fever, he was quarantined on the vessel, while his health condition was constantly monitored.”
A doctor from Taiwan’s Keelung Hospital provided teleconsultations with the unwell seafarer.
The company continued, “The doctor’s opinion was that as the seafarer had a high temperature, without any respiratory problems, the crew member should maintain self-quarantine and his condition should continue to be monitored.”
Yang Ming added that the YM Enlightenment crew have been on the ship for at least five months, without any changeovers, due to government restrictions worldwide.
The company asserted that epidemic prevention materials, such as face masks and protective gear, have been readily replenished since the Lunar New Year.
The company added that ship masters are permitted to purchase such items locally wherever the vessel stopped.
Yang Ming admitted that there were times when a shortage of surgical masks in local markets resulted in the company purchasing generic protection masks as substitutes. Therefore, while ships may have lacked surgical masks, it was untrue that the vessels had no masks at all.
Yang Ming’s management said that it was in constant contact with the master of YM Enlightenment, stating that it received his request, dated 3 April, for 80 surgical masks. After assessing the crew’s requirement, Yang Ming arranged for 300 masks to be sent to the ship in a US East Coast port on 19 April.
As Yang Ming was unable to procure surgical masks, the company sent generic protection masks to the vessel instead.
Subsequently, Yang Ming managed to secure 400 surgical masks that were sent to YM Enlightenment when the ship docked at London Gateway Terminal on 8 May.
Reports from the ship on 9 to 10 May indicated that the unwell seafarer’s fever had been reduced slightly, without consuming medication, and his condition continues to be monitored, said Yang Ming. If necessary, arrangements can be made for the seafarer to disembark for medical treatment.
YM Enlightenment is now en route to New York, scheduled to arrive on 18 May.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
