Coronavirus: ‘Red flags missed’ on crew members

WA Premier Mark McGowan has demanded answers after a sheep ship carrying ill crew members was allowed to dock in Fremantle.

The Al Kuwait live-export ship docked in Fremantle harbour on Tuesday. Picture: AAP

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has demanded answers from his federal counterparts after a sheep ship carrying ill crew members was allowed to dock in Fremantle harbour.

Six crew members from the Al Kuwait sheep ship have tested positive to coronavirus and there are concerns for the wellbeing of the other 42 crew on board, including two Australians.

Mr McGowan said the ship had been cleared to dock by the federal Department of Agriculture and Border Force despite the ship’s master reporting that some of the crew aboard had elevated temperatures before its arrival.

An Australian who boarded the ship to help pilot it into the harbour and his close contacts have also been isolated following the outbreak.

Mr McGowan said local authorities only learned of the illnesses on board through “word of mouth” from another worker at the port, and said federal departments needed to take some lessons from the situation.

“Clearly if there are cases of people reporting high temperatures on board, that should be reported and red flags should be raised,” he said.

“I would say to everyone involved, in particular the commonwealth agencies who knew about this, they need to be on guard and be alert about these cases.”

But Mr McGowan’s version of events was challenged by federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud, who said he had received advice that the Agriculture ­Department had been told the three ill crew members did not have high temperatures when the ship was cleared to dock, and he was looking for records that would back the department’s version of events. “Particularly in these heightened times of anxiety, we as leaders need to make sure we get the documentary evidence and calmly work through this together and to understand that if there are gaps … then we rectify it,” he told ABC’s Radio National.

Ships arriving from overseas, such as the Ruby Princess in NSW and the Artania cruise ship that was previously at Fremantle, have been major sources of coronavirus cases in Australia. But like the ­Artania, none of the crew from the Al Kuwait have been allowed to walk the streets of Perth.

Western Australia has been under growing pressure from the federal government to open up its border with the rest of Australia, and Mr McGowan said the latest incident showed why the state was cautious in lifting restrictions.

“Isolation is Western Australia’s greatest strength. Isolation from the rest of the country, isolation from the rest of the world,” he said. “We need to protect that against all those who would seek to bring it down, whether it’s the commonwealth government, the NSW premier or the state opposition leader. Isolation is important to protect our citizens.”

The two Australians on the ship are understood to be the veterinarian and stockman required to travel on all live export ships to the Middle East under Australian regulations. They would normally fly back to Australia, rather than sail back on an empty ship, but the pandemic has required the live ship industry to adapt.

The ship is owned by Kuwaiti company Al Mawashi that bought the ship, formerly known as the Ocean Shearer, from ASX-listed Wellard in March for $US53m.

Tens of thousands of sheep that were supposed to be loaded on to the vessel are stuck in a feed lot in the Perth suburb of Baldivis and cannot board an alternate ship.