85 crew members aboard Alaskan fishing ship test positive for coronavirus

Eighty-five crew members of a factory trawler ship belonging to American Seafoods have tested positive for the coronavirus, the company announced Sunday.

The ship, the American Triumph, left Oregon for Alaska on June 27 with 119 people aboard to fish for pollock, according to the company, with seven crew members reporting symptoms of the virus two weeks after departure. Six of the seven tested positive in Unalaska after the ship arrived Thursday.

Upon testing the rest of the crew, the company found a further 79 members were positive, according to the city.

The crew members who tested negative will be transported to Anchorage for quarantine and symptom-monitoring, while those who tested positive will be further screened and then sailed to Seward by Wednesday, at which point they will also be transported to Anchorage for isolation, according to Unalaska officials.

The ship itself will remain in port for a disinfection process, after which a skeleton crew that has been in isolation will board it.

“We are moving expeditiously to relocate our crew and get them the care they need,” said American Seafoods CEO Mikel Durham. “I want to thank the Illiuliuk Family and Health Services, the City of Unalaska Unified Command, and the public health and critical infrastructure professionals in Alaska who provided us with support and clear guidance.”

“My sincere thanks goes out to all those who worked collaboratively to help ensure the safety of both the crew and our community. There is no better reminder that we truly are all in this together,” Unalaska City Manager Erin Reinders said in a statement.

The report comes a day after Alaska reported a single-day record of 119 cases Sunday, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Thirty-six of the American Triumph cases were reported in time to be included in that tally.

All of the crew members remained on the ship after it docked, American Seafoods spokesperson Suzanne Lugoni told the Daily News.