Two more cargo vessels have been hit by mass poisoning events, following a fatal incident on a Precious Shipping bulker earlier in February.
Russian maritime and river transport agency Rosmorrechflot said one seafarer died and five others suffered symptoms on the 1,800-dwt general cargoship April (built 1981).
The vessel was in the Kerch strait at the time, according to the agency's press secretary, Alexei Kravchenko.
An evacuation of the affected seafarers had been planned for 19 February, but bad weather prevented this.
The ship had been en route from Taganrog in Russia to Samsun in Turkey.
Manager Eksen Ship Chartering & Transport of Turkey has been contacted for comment.
Meanwhile, authorities in Trois-Rivieres, Canada, reported that 17 seafarers were taken ill on a Thoresen Shipping supramax.
The 56,000-dwt Thor Magnhild (built 2006) had alerted the port that six out of 24 Thais on board were sick as it approached the terminal.
Mass outbreak of sickness
When medics boarded, they found 17 seafarers suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting. They were taken to hospital with strict Covid-19 protocols in place, the Journal de Montreal reported.
When all crew members are back healthy on board, unloading will take place and the ship will be allowed to leave, the newspaper said.
The bulker had arrived from Brazil via the Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius.
Manager Thoresen Shipping has been contacted for comment.
Food poisoning appears to be likely in both cases.
TradeWinds reported on Monday that one man had died and many others were taken ill following a food poisoning incident on a Precious Shipping bulker.
A jar of pickled bamboo shoots was said to be the source of the incident, which occurred earlier this month on the 34,000-dwt handysize bulker Lanna Naree (built 2012) in the Indian Ocean.
The chief cook died and up to 13 others were reported to have become unwell before the bulker could divert to Male in the Maldives.
