Dublin Port sought extra health guarantees from ship recently docked in Sierra Leone

Dublin Port's harbourmaster sought additional health guarantees from the master of a cargo ship that had been in the Sierra Leone capital of Freetown eight days before it arrived early yesterday into the Liffey mouth.

Capt Dave Dignam told The Irish Times he took the step after a meeting with his port pilots, amid growing international concern over the effectiveness of measures to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.

The HSE had already informed Capt Dignam that it had received a “maritime declaration of health” from the ship’s master and was satisfied that there was “no issue” with the ship and crew. It said it had no plans for a specific inspection by HSE public health experts while the ship was in port.

Protocols

Under protocols drawn up on September 1st last, the HSE is seeking such declarations from all ships bound for Irish ports which have called to an area affected by the Ebola virus – specifically Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria.

"The first contact that any ship has with Ireland is a port pilot, and so I had to make sure my staff were happy to go on board," Capt Dignam explained.

The 200m cargo ship, which sailed again last night, is owned by an international shipping company which has a contract to deliver used vehicles to west Africa for recycling. It is one of a fleet which undertakes the run between west Africa and a number of European ports every six weeks.

The Irish agents for the ship told The Irish Times they were always kept informed if anyone was ill on board a vessel and required medical attention. The agent was not in a position to say whether the crew had shore leave while in Freetown.

The HSE guidelines state the maritime declaration of health is required from all ships which have been in any of the four west African states “whether there is a suspected case of Ebola on board or not”.

The Nautical Institute, representing international maritime professionals including ships’ masters, said it supported the advice on Ebola being given by the International Chamber of Shipping.

This requires companies to carry out proper risk assessments before trading into Ebola-affected areas and providing precautions and advice to their crews.

While major companies may have taken sufficient measures, they may not be so comprehensive “further down the shipping ladder”, the organisation said.

The institute, which includes Irish master mariners, said it was conducting risk assessments about travel to affected areas.