OCEAN Discovery, the vessel that was denied permission to dock at Crew’s Inn in Chaguaramas on Thursday because of Ebola concerns, was given clearance to dock on Friday morning, but remained moored off Chacachacare, off Trinidad’s north-western peninsula.
The United Kingdom-registered vessel had docked at Pointe Noire in Republic of Congo on September 13 and ten days later it docked at the port of Sekondi Takoradi in Ghana before sailing into Trinidad and Tobago waters on Thursday.
Ghana is fairly near to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, three of the countries that have accounted for the majority of the Ebola deaths that has climbed to more than 4,400.
Ghana, however, has no reported cases of the virus to date.
Immigration sources and customs officials said because of the Ebola threat in West Africa, they had refused to allow the ship, carrying cargo and passengers, to dock on Thursday.
However, Customs sources told the Express yesterday: “Ministry of Health workers boarded the vessel late Thursday evening and after conducting routine medical tests for Ebola on the 19 crew and passengers and interviewing them, immigration officials today gave the ship clearance to dock at the port.”
Sources say most of the persons on board were from Panama, Europe and the US, with just one or two of them from Africa.
Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan made the announcement during Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister that persons from Ebola-stricken countries—Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria—have been banned from entering Trinidad and Tobago with immediate effect.
The Express yesterday went to Crews Inn, where there is a Customs and Excise facility specifically charged with processing both locals and foreigners who arrive via small vessels as well as other ships that dock in Chaguaramas.
A Customs official confirmed the Ocean Discovery was in T&T waters, off Chacachacare, and was not clearly visible from Chaguaramas.
He said officials from the vessel’s local agents boarded the ship and it had been deemed “low risk” by them.
The Customs official said the boat will not be off-loading any cargo but just one person who will be allowed to disembark and conveyed straight to Piarco International Airport, where that person will board a flight out of Trinidad.
But he said he was not sure if this had yet happened.
—with reporting
by Gyasi Gonzales