About 20 ships have been kept off the shore at a distance of 10 nautical miles of the Visakhapatnam port for either want of documentation to berth or COVID-19 screening.
VPT Deputy Chairman P.L. Haranadh scoffed at reports that a Chinese ship had been held up off Visakhapatnam port. He told reporters, who met him on Tuesday, that they made arrangements for quarantining crew members, if they were found with symptoms of COVID-19.
The port had earlier denied berthing to a Chinese vessel Fortune Hero for a couple of days and subsequently allowed it only after a health team from the port screened them for the virus and found everyone safe.
Mr. Haranadh said they formed three health teams to conduct various tests on the crew while at sea to find out if anyone of them had symptoms of COVID-19. The port has opened an isolation ward with 10 beds at Golden Jubilee Hospital. It has also made provision for quarantining for 14 days at a few quarters at Maharanipeta. As on Tuesday, the port screened 1,193 crew members for COVID-19.
