Dangerous spider species - Black Widows discovered on container ship
On board a container ship in Bremerhaven, Black Widows have been discovered. "Living animals were found under one container," said Hafenkapitan Stephan Berger from the Bremen Harbor Office. As a result, loading of the ship was stopped. The population is reportedly not in danger.
There was no evacuation of the blue-white ship, as some media reported. "The crew is still on board," said Berger. In the coming weeks, the entire ship is expected to be sucked out with special equipment, similar to the extermination of the Eichhornet. This is expected to take approximately three weeks. The freighter is to be relocated to another pier.
According to Berger, two decks that can be hermetically sealed are affected. Therefore, the spread of the spiders is practically excluded. It is still unclear which type of Black Widow it is. Berger reported that he could not find any spiders for examination during a ship inspection. The venom of all types of Black Widows can lead to paralysis in humans, he explained.
Berger also emphasized that spider creatures in cargo areas of container ships are far from unusual. The affected crew has experience with similar incidents and is therefore very calm.
The captain of the US freighter "Arc Commitment" had already reported a possible infestation before arriving in Bremerhaven on Wednesday. This had already been noticed and treated at the previous port in Danzig, Poland. "Some spiders apparently survived," said Berger. Since the arrival in Bremerhaven, thorough searches have been carried out for the animals.
- The container ship, currently docked in Bremerhaven, hails from Lower Saxony.
- The discovery of Black Widows on the ship caused concerns about shipping containerships, but authorities assured that the population is not at risk.
- In an attempt to eliminate the spider infestation, specialized equipment will be used to evacuate the ship, similar to the procedure used for Eichhornet extermination.
- Despite the infestation, the species of Black Widow spider remains unknown, as no spiders were found during an inspection of the ship in Bremerhaven.
