An Indian first officer has died after reporting respiratory problems on a Norwegian bulker off Uruguay.
The 55,800-dwt open-hatch bulker Saga Faith (built 2019), operated by Saga Welco, was diverted into Montevideo, but a medical team could not save the 38-year-old after boarding the ship.
The Subrayado website reported that the country's coordinating centre for search and rescue at sea had received a call on Monday warning that a crew member was unconscious with respiratory problems.
Covid-19 has not been confirmed, but concerns will be mounting as India suffers a devastating outbreak of a highly transmissible variant.
The vessel was en route from Brazil, which is also suffering its own Covid-19 surge.
Saga Welco has been contacted for comment.
The National Navy of Uruguay reported that a vessel was due to bring the body ashore. The local authority will carry out a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death.
Incidents increasing
A spate of Covid-19-related incidents have been reported on ships in the last two months.
Earlier in April, the Pacific Ocean island of Vanuatu went into lockdown after the body of a seafarer who later tested positive for Covid-19 was found on a beach.
The Filipino man in his 40s served on the 3,678-cbm LPG carrier Inge Kosan (built 2011), operated by BW Epic Kosan. Cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Death in Crete
On 19 April, TradeWinds reported that a Greek bulker was quarantined in Crete after a crewman was found dead in his cabin, while 10 others later tested positive for Covid-19.
The seafarer was discovered on the 182,000-dwt Heroic (built 2010), owned by CM Lemos company Nereus Shipping, Greece's Hellenic Coast Guard said.
And two seafarers died and another was in hospital as Brazil's dire Covid-19 emergency spread to three vessels.
These were only the second and third known coronavirus deaths reported on ships, following the loss of the master on CSL Group's 11,500-dwt bulker Tertnes (built 1985) off Norway in March.
The deaths serve as a reminder of the real danger that still exists for seafarers, as the industry grapples with how to provide vaccines to crews.
