Sick sailors brought ashore
DAVE JOHNSON/Tribune Staff
PORT COLBORNE — Sixteen sailors from the Liberian-registered German vessel Hermann Schoening were brought ashore in Port Colborne early Wednesday morning after falling ill aboard the ship Tuesday night.
The illness was attributed to due to potentially fatal gas vapours flowing through the ship.
Niagara Region's public health department said the men, believed to be Chinese sailors, were assessed and treated at Niagara Health System sites and West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Fourteen were taken to NHS sites, while two were taken to the Grimsby hospital between 2 a.m. and 3:15 a.m. Wednesday.
The health department — one of the many agencies called to West St. — reported all individuals were stable and the hospitals were working with Canadian Border Services Agency to appropriately discharge the patients. They were expected to be released Wednesday.
The sailors on board the ship, which was on Lake Erie 3.7 nautical miles southwest of Port Colborne, became ill after phosphine gas leaked from cargo holds into living and working spaces, said Transport Canada in a news release.
The gas formed after fumigation pellets used on board the vessel somehow became moist or wet. Phosphine is a chemical used to fumigate or control pests in processed foods, stored tobacco, animal feeds and non-food products.
The health department said the chemical was not spilled into the water or onto clothes and the gas is not spread from person to person.
"Therefore the ship's crew cannot spread this to anyone with whom they may be in contact," said a release from the health department, which wanted to reassure the public there was no secondary health risk from the incident.
A Transport Canada inspector was to board the vessel, which left Milwaukee sometime over the weekend, to conduct an investigation Wednesday and work with other agencies to gather information.
"The safety of the marine transportation system is Transport Canada's highest priority. As soon as Transport Canada became aware of this incident Tuesday afternoon, officials began working with authorities to respond to the incident," said the federal agency tasked with marine safety.
Port Colborne Fi re and Emergency Services fire Chief Tom Cartwright said he was quite happy with how everything went down Tuesday and Wednesday.
"The support between Niagara EMS paramedics, Niagara's regional emergency management person, Niagara Health System, (medical officer of health) Dr. Robin Williams, Coast Guard, Transport Canada and the other agencies was good. Everyone worked well together."
Port Colborne's fire service became involved after it received a call from Health Canada asking for assistance in helping the sick crew members. A conference call was held between Transport Canada, Health Canada, the shipping agent and Cartwright about what to do with the ship and crew.
"Out of that, there was a direction to move ahead and try and deal with the sick crew members," said the chief, adding he called city manager Bob Heil to inform him of what was going on and the city manager in turn called Mayor Vance Badawey.
The city's two top officials were at the fire hall throughout the night working with Cartwright and all agencies involved.
The sailors were removed from the ship, with five left onboard to ensure the safety of the Hermann Schoening, by a combination of two tugs -- the pilot boat J.W. Cooper and Nadro Marine's vessel Seahound -- and two Zodiac fireboats from Fort Erie Fire Department.
"The boats from Fort Erie worked well for us in getting the men off the ship," said Cartwright.
The sailors were ferried to shore via the Welland Canal where they were met by waiting paramedics and ambulances on West St. at Kent St.
Paramedics assessed each sailor as border officers checked their paperwork.
Cartwright said the shipping agent — Montreal-based Gibson Canadian & Global Agency Inc. — was to send a bus to pick up all of the sailors and take them back to Port Colborne once released from hospital.
"I assume the tugs we used would be the same ones to take them back out to the ship," he said.
The chief said the five crew members who remained on board would be assessed by paramedics once the ship docked in the canal.
The saltwater ship was bound for Montreal.
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