Suspected COVID-19 patient aboard foreign container ship safely brought to Colombo harbour

Sri Lanka Navy rendered assistance to safely bring a seaman aboard the container ship MSC Taranto, who is a suspected COVID-19 patient, to the port of Colombo this morning (13).

MSC Taranto is a container ship owned by a Liberian company. After the seaman onboard was found to be a suspected COVID-19 patient, the MSC Lanka (Private) Limited, the local agent of the ship made a request from the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 to get him disembarked in Sri Lanka for treatment. 

Accordingly, with the approval of the Ministry of Defence and direct guidance of Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Piyal De Silva, Sri Lanka Navy made prompt action to bring ashore the 36-year-old Philippine national named Solis Ryan today.

The Navy’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Unit approached the container ship which was about 05 nautical miles off the Colombo harbour and brought the ill person ashore by following necessary guidelines declared by health experts. 

Subsequently, the patient was disinfected on the harbour premises itself before rushing him to the Colombo National Hospital by ‘Suwasariya’ ambulance service.

Sri Lanka Navy, in collaboration with the Suwaseriya Ambulance Service, Ports Authority and a number of other agencies had conducted drills to rehearse Standard Operational Procedure that could be adopted in the event of transferring a suspected COVID 19 contracted patient at the port of Colombo. 

Thereby with the assistance of Suwaseriya Ambulance Service, Ports Authority the Navy managed to execute this task in a successful manner, the navy said.