The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Friday refuted claims with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) over the presence of six Covid-19 infected persons on board a vessel at one of the Nigerian ports, stating that the six infected persons were discovered on an oil rig, Siem Marlin offshore Lagos, and not at any of the nation’s Seaports.
According to a statement signed by the NPA Spokesman, Adams Jatto, the tweet made by the agency in response to NCDC tweet earlier on Friday was made to get clarification for record purposes and record keeping.
According to the NPA, “Following public reactions to attempts by the Nigerian Ports Authority to get full details of COVID-19 cases said to have been found on a vessel, the Authority wishes to make the following clarifications:
“The NPA, by its tweet on Thursday, March 26, did not contradict the information released to the public by the National Centre for Disease Control. (NCDC). What the tweet sought was to get full details of the incident for purposes of record and better management in the future.
“The NPA needed the clarification to reassure its stakeholders who raised concern over the announcement that six cases were found on a vessel when they as shipping companies, terminal operators, jetty operators did not see any such infected passengers go through their respective COVID-19 protocol.
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“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). The protocol is that:
“The Captain of any vessel with a sick person(s) on board must fly two yellow flags. This done, personnel of the Port Health Services will go into the vessel at berth, inspect it and in cases where there is a person on board, they will quarantine the ship and immediately escalate to the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
“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.
“The NCDC has now clarified that these cases were discovered on an Oil Rig, Siem Marlin on the High Sea, offshore Lagos and accessed by the Lagos State Government and the NCDC by Helicopter. Maritime stakeholders would not have been so apprehensive if it was clear that the passengers were on a rig.
“This clarification has renewed the confidence of stakeholders in the effectiveness of the processes put in place, which remains. the principal objective of the Authority.
“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.”
It would be recalled that earlier on Twitter, the official Twitter handle of NCDC had stated that 14 new cases of Covid-19 cases had just been reported, of which six of those were passengers on a vessel that called at Nigeria’s ports.
According to the NCDC tweet, “14 new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Nigeria: 2 in FCT, 12 in Lagos.
“Of the 14, six were detected on a vessel, three are returning travellers into Nigeria & one is close contact of a confirmed case
“As at 7:35 pm 26th March, there are: 65 confirmed cases, 3 discharged, 1 death”
However, in a swift response to NCDC claims earlier on Friday, the NPA via it’s official Twitter handle stated that “Hello @NCDCgov. In respect to the six new cases that “were detected on a vessel” in Lagos, the Authority in collaboration with Port Health has not recorded any confirmed cases to date.
“To enable verification and proper record keeping, kindly avail us with specific details on the name of the Vessel the passengers were on board, and the Terminal or Jetty where they berthed.”
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