Black Widows discovered on ships in Bremerhaven
During the unloading of a container ship in Bremerhaven, crew members encountered several Black Widows. To remove all poisonous spiders from the vessel, the freighter is now expected to be vacuumed out with special equipment.
On board a cargo ship in Bremerhaven, poisonous Black Widows have been discovered. "Living creatures were found under a container," said Harbour Captain Stephan Berger from the Bremen Harbour Authority. The unloading of the ship was subsequently halted. There is reportedly no danger to the population.
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 vacuumed out with special equipment, similar to the treatment of the Brown Recluse Spider. This is expected to take approximately three weeks. The freighter is to be relocated to another pier.
According to Berger, two decks are affected, which can be hermetically sealed. The spread of the Black Widows is therefore practically excluded. It is still unclear which species of Black Widow it is. "I couldn't find any spiders for examination during a ship inspection," said Berger. The venom of all types of Black Widow can cause paralysis in humans, he explained.
Harbour Captain Berger also emphasized that spiders in cargo ship holds are far from unusual. The affected crew reportedly have experience with similar incidents and are therefore very calm.
The captain of the US-American freighter "Arc Commitment" had already reported a possible infestation before its arrival in Bremerhaven on a Wednesday. This had already been noticed and treated at the previous port in Danzig, Poland. "Some spiders apparently survived," said Berger. Thorough searches have been conducted since the arrival in Bremerhaven.
Against international standards for shipping safety, some Black Widow spiders made their way into Animals shelters in Bremerhaven. To prevent any potential accidents, the entire ship, originally from the United States, will undergo a three-week vacuuming process using specialized equipment, as was done with a Brown Recluse Spider-infested vessel before.
