Dangerous Animals - Gift spiders on cargo ships - Experts in action
After the discovery of poisonous Black Widow spiders on board a Cargo Ship in Bremerhaven, the animals are now set to be removed. The work is expected to begin presumably today, reported several media. The poisonous Black Widows should be handled by a specialist company and removed, which is estimated to take about three weeks. Previously, Hafenkapitan Stephan Berger from the Bremen Harbor Office had said in the past week that some living creatures were found under a container. Subsequently, the unloading of the ship was stopped. There appears to be no danger to the population, as reported.
The ship was not evacuated. According to a report by the "Nordsee-Zeitung," one of the animals was caught and sent to a lab for identification. It is therefore confirmed that it is Black Widows. The venom of all types of Black Widow spiders can cause paralysis in humans.
Spread of spiders excluded
According to Berger's words, two decks, which can be hermetically sealed, are affected. Therefore, the spread of spiders is practically excluded. The Hafenkapitan also emphasized that spider animals in cargo spaces of cargo ships are far from unusual. The affected crew has also experience with similar incidents and is therefore calm.
The captain of the US-American cargo ship "Arc Commitment" had already reported a possible infestation before arriving in Bremerhaven on a Wednesday. This had already been noticed and treated at the previous port in Polish Danzig. "Some spiders have apparently survived," said Berger. Since the arrival in Bremerhaven, thorough searches have been carried out for the animals.
- The specialist company, appointed for the removal of the Black Widows, will handle the cargo ship's cargo shipments during the spider removal process, as mentioned by Stephan Berger.
- To ensure the safety of the cargo during the spider removal, the cargo ship "Arc Commitment" will temporarily shift its operations to an alternative port in Bremen, following Stephan Berger's recommendations.
- In light of the Emergency situation, Stephan Berger has arranged for an emergency drill to be conducted onboard the cargo ship, to familiarize the crew with necessary safety procedures, as a precautionary measure.
- Upon completion of the Black Widow removal process, the cargo ship "Arc Commitment" will resume its shipping schedule from Bremerhaven, as announced by its captain.
