COVID-19 case on Capesize Bulker “Vega Dream”

The “Vega Dream” (174,713MT, built July 2010) owned and managed by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) with a crew of twenty, has a COVID-19 case onboard, at Port Hedland, Western Australia. Among the twenty crew members, seven have been tested positive, in which one is currently isolated at the Hedland Health Campus, and the remaining six with no symptoms are isolated onboard. The other thirteen crew members, also showing no symptoms of COVID-19, have tested negative.

Among ｔhe seven crew members that have tested positive, six have boarded the vessel on 24th Sept, which is also the latest crew change for the vessel, and one has boarded on the 13th of August. All crew members have boarded in compliance with the Department of Transportation in the Philippines, Protocol for Crew Change and Repatriation.as well as being quarantined and tested negative in the Philippines prior to joining the vessel.

The vessel arrived in Port Hedland, Western Australia on October 3rd, berthed on October 10th, and completed cargo operation on October 11th. She has currently unberthed and anchored off Port Hedland.

Our thoughts are with the health of our crew members, their families and friends, the medical professionals and care givers. We will be informing updates on the situation. 

We highly appreciate the swift and humanitarian support by the Australian Department of Health, AMSA, Hedland Health Campus, Pilbara Ports Authority, and the local community involved. We will continue to fully cooperate with all concerned parties and take all precautions to avoid the spread of the virus.