MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

The Venturer leaves Brazil and is sailing for the Falklands

The trawler with its 63 crew had left Vigo on January 14, but had to call in Bahía following an outbreak of Covid 19 on board

Following four weeks docked in Bahia, northeast Brazil, because of a Covid 19 outbreak on board, the Red Ensign flagged trawler Venturer left on Tuesday night for the Falkland Islands.

The vessel belonging to the Galician company Pescapuerta and Falklands' Petrel Fishing with a crew of 63 had to call in Brazil because of the outbreak of 31 cases which tested positive. The news was reported in the Galician media.

According to what was informed, the situation occurred ten days after the Venturer had left Vigo for the Falklands squid season, when two Peruvian crew members begun to present symptoms of the virus which were confirmed with swab testing. This despite the fact that all crew members had been in quarantine for ten days in Galicia before boarding and departing on 14 January.

When the trawler reached Salvador de Bahía on 28 January with the outbreak, it had to remain in the bay with crew members confined in their cabins half with the contagion and the other half “clean”. Several tests and swabs were done in mid February but nine crewmembers were still positive. Ten days later with all negative tests double checked, the trawler left this week for the South Atlantic.

Venturer crewmembers are mainly Galician, the officers and the rest Peruvians. During confinement four Peruvians had to be hospitalized for a few days but the worst case was a Spaniard seaman who needed ICU care and it was decided to fly him back to Cangas, Galicia, once his medical situation improves.