Eleven out of a dozen crew members with confirmed coronavirus infections aboard a Norwegian-flagged freighter off the south-west coast of Finland remained aboard the ship as its cargo was offloaded at sea.
According to Estonian public broadcaster ERR, the ship arrived near the harbour city of Uusikaupunki on Friday morning.
The freighter, the Yara Nauma, was returning to Uusikaupunki from Sillamäe, Estonia. The vessel had first departed for Estonia from Uusikaupunki on Tuesday and returned on Friday.
Finnish news agency STT reported that one of the patients was taken ashore and driven by ambulance for a medical check.
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Before the ship departed Estonia towards Finland, tests revealed that 14 crew members had confirmed Covid-19 infections, but two of them - a Russian and a Filipino - were receiving treatment in Estonia, according to the broadcaster. No one aboard the ship were Finnish citizens, Teija Kankaanpää, Yara's plant manager said.
ERR reported on Thursday that the patients were in good physical condition and that they had been tested for coronavirus in Estonia.
Rather than offloading at an Uusikaupunki dock, the LPG tanker's freight shipment was handled offshore, using a method requiring just one Yara harbour worker to board the ship. That employee was equipped with personal protective equipment.
Once the freight has been offloaded, the ship is scheduled to continue onwards.
