AMERICAN DYNASTY

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Disease aboard trawler yielded interesting results for scientists

On May 13, the 'American Dynasty' set sail off the west coast of the United States with 122 crew on board. Almost all of them (120 of the 122) had been tested before and had found no trace of the coronavirus. Three also had antibodies that suggested they had already passed the disease. Two weeks later, due to the deterioration of one of the workers, the ship was forced to return to port. 85% of the crew were infected by the virus. In other words, 103 people were infected and, despite being in one of the worst possible contexts (closed spaces, close contact, extremely long exposure times), none of the three with antibodies were among them. It was a small natural experiment, perhaps of little significance, but it was also the first clear proof that past infections protect against coronavirus disease in a matter that cannot be experimented on without seriously endangering the research participants. A curious natural experiment. The work, carried out by researchers at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is still a preprint, waiting to be reviewed and published in an academic journal. However, the data provide very interesting support for something that scientists have been thinking about for a long time: that we are capable of generating immunity against the virus. During the last months, the cases of the possible reinfected have kept them busy on several occasions. The bottom line has always been the same: there has never been any clear evidence or indication that a reinfection has occurred. However, in this context, one must be cautious. There are still many things unknown about the virus. In this context, the case of the 'American Dynasty' is not a confirmation that antibodies protect us from possible reinfections; there are too many things that, due to the circumstances, scientists have not been able to examine. But it's certainly the best possible experiment about a life-threatening disease for which we have no treatment. Little by little, the puzzle of the coronavirus is being completed. Although sometimes the pieces seem where you least expect it. The trawler has remained berthed in Duch Harbor since July 7.

92 crew members tested positive for COVID-19

Out of 126 people on board the 'American Dynasty', 92 tested positive for coronavirus which was the first major coronavirus outbreak on a fishing vessel with a processing plant in the Pacific Northwest. All crew members were screened and tested for coronavirus or antibodies before they boarded the ship. Only those who tested negative were allowed to board. The ship was fishing for hake before docking in Washington. A worker who felt sick was taken ashore, where they tested positive for coronavirus. One day later, 85 more crew members tested positive. The remainder of the positive tests came in during the next days. American Seafoods reported an additional 25 crew members tested positive on two more fishing vessels, the 'Northern Jaeger' and the 'American Triumph'. Each vessel has more than 110 workers. Most of the crew on the ships tested negative, but there were four positives on the 'American Triumph' and 21 on the 'Northern Jaeger'. Though American Seafoods tested workers before they were allowed on the vessel, the advance quarantine was only five days. That decision was criticized since it can take 14 days for people to show symptoms of COVID-19 or for the virus to be detectable in a test. American Seafoods said it has now changed its quarantine requirement to 14 days.

Trawler cut short its fishing season after COVID-19 outbreak

The 'American Dynasty' had to cut short its fishing season off the Washington coast after 85 of its 126 crew members were tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement released on May 31 by American Seafoods, which operates the vessel. The test results were a somber finding for the North Pacific fishing industry, which has been trying to keep the novel coronavirus off the ships and out of the shore-based plants that produce much of the nation’s seafood. The outbreak also underscores the toll coronavirus continues to take on the food processing industry across the nation. In Washington state, outbreaks in meat plants, fruit and vegetable fields and packing facilities prompted Gov. Jay Inslee to order new protections for agricultural and food processing workers. As part of the effort to keep outbreaks from impacting the seafood industry, the 'American Dynasty' crew, before heading to sea May 13, were screened for the viral infection and underwent quarantines of at least five days. They also underwent additional testing for the antibodies created by the virus. “Only if there were no signs that they were actively infected or contagious were they cleared to board their vessel,” American Seafoods chief executive Mikel Dunham said in a written statement. But the virus still found its way on board. On May 29, as the vessel docked in Bellingham, one crew member reported feeling sick, tested positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalized. That prompted the company to have the rest of the crew screened May 39, and about two thirds of them tested positive. The vessel remained moored in Seattle, and the crew that tested positive have been taken on shore, where they are being monitored by medical personnel. The company was cooperating with U.S. Coast Guard, Seattle/King County Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Port of Seattle. The company has contract medics aboard its vessels, and medical equipment to respond to COVID-19. The company also has put in place “preparedness procedures” in the event of an outbreak. Those plans were now “fully executed,” and updates will be provided as the situation evolves.