Five seafarers have tested positive for coronavirus on a Maersk containership off China.
They are thought to be the first crew to be confirmed with the disease on a boxship.
The Danish company said the seafarers involved were among seven evacuated from the 11,078-teu Gjertrud Maersk (built 2005) in Ningbo last Thursday.
Four of the five are currently asymptomatic and the other two tested negative.
The infected individuals were said to be stable in hospital.
The crew members had been feeling unwell and were isolated on the ship, the company said.
Maersk is now taking extra precautionary measures for crew replacement, and sanitation procedures will be implemented.
Crew changes halted
The company has suspended crew changes on its fleet until at least 14 April due to the spread of the virus and travel restrictions imposed worldwide.
A statement from China's ministry of transport said the vessel had arrived with 22 crew on 17 March.
The other 15 have remained on board under medical observation.
Multiple tests were conducted, the statement added.
The ministry is considering how to implement a crew change.
Spanish media reported on Tuesday that a test has been carried out on a crew member on a CMA CGM boxship off Algeciras. The seafarer had been showing Covid-19 symptoms.
On Monday, TradeWinds reported that a crew member had tested positive on a Bluewater FPSO off Scotland, while six seafarers were confirmed with the virus on an offshore vessel off Nigeria.
