One worker has died and 41 others have tested positive for coronavirus after an outbreak at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania.
The fatality and other Covid-19 cases have been detected at the Dutch-owned plant in the last eight weeks, company officials said in a Mediafax report.
Of the total, 35 staff are Damen employees and the rest are sub-contractors. Three workers have made full recoveries so far.
"In all these cases, we identified the contacts of these people, ensuring their entry into self-isolation, and we disinfected the spaces/facilities in which they recently carried out their activity," company representatives said.
More measures taken
Following the discovery of the cluster, bosses decided to take additional precautions.
Face masks have been compulsory since 25 June and employees are also now working in two shifts.
Testing has also begun on potential contacts of confirmed cases. The shipyard, part of Damen Shipyards, has an orderbook of 13 vessels.
The shipyard is building six passengerships for BC Ferries in Canada, plus a supply ship, tugs and dredgers. Deliveries run from this year until 2022.
The Damen group website says its Galati yard employs about 2,500 members of staff on its 55-hectare facility, making it one of the largest production units across the Dutch group's portfolio.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, Romania has had nearly 27,300 cases of Covid-19, including nearly 1,670 deaths.
Damen has been contacted for more information.
