Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The container vessel, Fesco Askold, with three of its 17 crew members who tested positive for COVID-19, sailed out of the Pago Pago Harbor around 10:30a.m yesterday, enroute back to the US with cargo loaded from American Samoa.

The vessel, which arrived from Samoa on Nov. 8th, was sent out to open ocean the following day, until an assessment was completed “to determine a viable strategy” for the safe off loading of the cargo and to pick up a minimum of 200 containers of StarKist products destined for the US.

While the vessel returned to the harbor last week Friday for the unloading process, there were concerns that it was taking too long and an agreement was reached between ASG — through the Health Department and Port Administration — with the local stevedoring and the vessel’s agent to speed up the off loading process.

Dr. Ronald Yip with DoH said Tuesday night that local stevedoring crew from Harbor Marine, were allowed to board the vessel to carry out the offloading operations in “order to speed up operations, which were falling well behind schedule.”

“This was because only one of the two cranes was being used by the vessel crew. Now both cranes are being used. All stevedoring crew are in PPE [personal protective equipment],” Dr. Yip explained in an email to ASG coronavirus task force chairman Iulogologo Joseph Pereira, Health director Motusa Tuileama Nua, Port Administration director Taimalelagi Dr. Claire Poumele and copied to Samoa News, which sought information from the task force on the agreement for speeding up the off loading process.

Dr. Yip further explained that “all local stevedoring crew are being placed under quarantine at a DOH Quarantine facility” in Tafuna “and were transported on a daily basis, to and from the vessel.”

“They will all receive a COVID-19 test once operations are completed, before they are allowed to return back into the community,” he said referring to the testing of the stevedoring crew members.

Iulogologo thanked Dr. Yip, along with Motusa as well as the DoH leadership and all physicians “for your tireless efforts to keep us safe and keep the virus at bay. Thank you for your hard work and service to our people.”

ASG officials said that during the loading and off loading process, the vessel’s three crew members tested positive, were isolated onboard.