Six seafarers have fallen ill on board a CMA CGM containership after calling in China sparking fears that coronavirus could be to blame.
The seafarers are crew members of CMA CGM Ural, which is currently underway from Singapore towards the Suez Canal en route to Turkey and the Black Sea.
Reports said the seafarers were suffering from a high fever. So far, however, coronavirus can neither be confirmed or ruled out.
An update from CMA CGM said the company is in constant contact with the ship and the crew were recovering.
“We are in constant contact with the CMA CGM URAL. All the necessary measures to ensure appropriate medical follow-up have been taken. The International Radio Medical Center (CIRM Roma) confirmed yesterday that the entire crew is in good health,” a spokesperson for CMA CGM said a statement.
According to CMA CGM’s website, the ship previously called in Ningbo, Xiamen and Shekou, China before departing for Singapore on January 16.
The ship is currently sailing between Singapore and Port Said, Egypt, where it is scheduled to arrive on February 1.
The deadly coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, China and has so far sickened 6065 people globally, resulting in 132 deaths, according to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The vast majority of cases have been reported in China.
CMA CGM Ural operates on the Ocean Alliance’s Bosphorus Express route connecting Asia with ports in the Black Sea. The 2015-built ship has a nominal capacity of 10,622 TEUs and is registered in Malta.