20 Oct 2020

Crew on ship off Napier coast doing fine - agent

1:33 pm on 20 October 2020

Crew on board a cargo ship linked to a positive case of Covid-19 are prepared to spend their fourth day anchored at sea.

A logging ship, Ken Rei, anchored in Napier on Monday morning, awaiting official advice after a Covid-19 scare.

The Ken Rei logging ship. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin

The Ken Rei remains off Napier's coast with 21 close contacts of a man who tested positive for the virus on Saturday.

An agent for the ship is in regular contact with the crew and said everyone on board is fine.

He said there were plenty of supplies and food on the vessel and the crew, from the Philippines, was used to spending days anchored due to weather and quarantine.

"I'm in regular contact with the crew. Ships get delayed when they travel around the world. These types of delays do happen," he said.

He said it was a border issue and the vessel was waiting to hear from the Ministry of Health and Maritime New Zealand.

The ministry said the man who tested positive likely caught the virus while working on another ship, which was now anchored off Australia's Sunshine Coast.