China yesterday announced the suspension of crew change for all vessels managed by Omicron Ship Management and Dia Yuan International Shipping for 30 days from 8 February, after Covid-19 was detected on two dry bulk vessels calling the country.
Fifteen crew members on the 77,031 deadweight tonne (dwt) Omicron Sky by Omicron Ship Management and 21 crew members on the 76,319dwt Asian Spring by Dia Yuan tested positive for the coronavirus.
According to the announcement by China's transport ministry, both ship management companies had failed in their responsibility to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19 as they did not have proper preventative measures and/or the prevention procedures were not effective in curbing the spread of the virus.
Omicron Ship Management and Dia Yuan International Shipping manages a fleet of six and 17, respectively.
The suspension comes as a warning to other ship management companies to strictly adhere to the preventative measures set out by the Chinese government.
