Covid fears: Ship crew enter fourth day anchored off Napier

The Ken Rei log ship is to enter its fourth day anchored offshore of Napier due to Covid links. Photo / File

By RNZ

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

The Ken Rei bulk hauler ship remains in Hawke Bay 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.

All 21 crew members are well and are not reporting any symptoms of Covid-19. They have been symptom-free for seven days.

"Officials are determining with the ship's owners the next move for the Ken Rei, in conjunction with public health units and port authorities," the Ministry said.

"Testing arrangements will be made once a decision about future movements has been made."

The Maritime Union of New Zealand yesterday said the new Covid case showed there was an "urgent need" for coastal shipping reform.

Union national secretary Joe Fleetwood said the union had repeatedly raised concerns about the risk of having international ships carry domestic freight.

He said nearly all domestic sea freight was carried by international ships running international crews who were not covered by New Zealand law - meaning "every single one" of NZ's ports is an international border point and "it puts our members and the public at risk".

"Other nations run a small number of international ports as hubs for their protected domestic sea freight which give them greater control of their border security and of their supply chains.

"There's a reason our international airports are limited to large sites that can resource strong border security, we should be doing the same with our ports."

He said there should be two in the North Island and two in the South Island, which would be "secure and safe points of entry for goods.

"All other cargo should be shifted by New Zealand-flagged vessels that operate under our law and are staffed by people from our team of five million."

Fleetwood said the union had been talking to the Government "for a while" about the issue and both Labour and the Greens have "repeatedly backed the need to strengthen New Zealand-flagged coastal shipping".