OUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19

American Seafoods Update

July 22, 2020

American Seafoods Company is reporting that additional crew members of the American Triumph tested positive for COVID-19 in Unalaska. American Seafoods tested and screened the 119-person crew after six reported COVID-19 symptoms and tested positive. In total, there are 79 newly positive crew members.

We are relocating the crew to Anchorage to isolate and quarantine. American Seafoods will support the crew members however we can, providing quarantine facilities, daily meals, and accessible onsite medical care. We will sanitize the vessel during this time.

 

Statement from Mikel Durham, CEO

July 22, 2020

I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who has helped American Seafoods and our crew members as we face the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We deeply appreciate the support and guidance we’ve received from state and local health authorities, clinics, and hospitals in Alaska and Washington state, from local governments, unified commands, ports, the U.S. Coast Guard, and from our industry colleagues.

The story of how COVID-19 has impacted our fishing operations is well known. We’ve had outbreaks on three of our vessels: American Dynasty, Northern Jaeger, and American Triumph. These have occurred despite our efforts to screen and test crews, place them in quarantine, and sanitize vessels and belongings before going to sea – all in coordination with public health professionals. Still, the virus reached us, just as it has so many others. The Dynasty and Jaeger are back at sea and we look forward to having the Triumph rejoin them soon.

What our communities may not know is what occurs after we discover the virus aboard. Here is where health professionals and others have helped us assess the situation, and then gone to work with us to find solutions. Several important factors have shaped our approach:

  • How we care for our crew members. We have programs in place and a team of professionals to support them and their families. We continue to pay crew, cover their expenses, and provide on-site medical attention – giving them the time and privacy they need to recover or stay isolated until they’re no longer infectious. Thankfully, the vast majority of crew testing positive have experienced mild to no symptoms.

  • How we protect the communities where we operate. We work to ensure that our quarantine facilities are secure and that no infected crew members come in contact with members of the community. For example, at our Anchorage quarantine facility, our crew members will be the only people housed there. Evaluations are conducted to ensure the facilities we use are safe and secure. We supply health monitoring by private medical staff. And part of our compensation to employees in quarantine is predicated on them staying through public health sign-off.

  • How we avoid financial burden on the agencies and communities that are helping us. We are paying all the costs of caring for our crew, such as medical care, transportation, food, housing and security to enforce isolation to prevent further spread.

Fishing is our business. It provides a livelihood for our crews and an economic benefit to the places where we operate. Crew members are strong and resilient, and they are committed to this way of life. They provide an important food product to families around the world and they work very hard to do that.

We all want the Triumph to get back to fishing. Our crew wants to return to the work they love and join other American Seafoods vessels at sea. At the same time, we want to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect all our crew members and communities. We continue to learn from the medical community about COVID-19 and how it spreads. As we learn, we have and will continue to adjust our operations.

To those who have helped us better understand and deal with the virus and its challenges, we owe immense gratitude. And to our communities, we hope you understand how seriously we take this situation and how much we appreciate the privacy and support you offer our crew members who have been affected by this virus.

 

For media inquiries:
Suzanne Lagoni, Communications Advisor
206-790-9784
Email: [email protected]

 

Press Releases:

6/5/2020: Some Crew Test Positive for COVID-19 on Northern Jaeger and American Triumph (Downloadable PDF)

6/3/2020: American Seafoods Testing Crews on Two Vessels (Downloadable PDF)

5/31/2020: American Seafoods Reports Additional Positive COVID-19 Tests from Crew Members on the American Dynasty (Downloadable PDF)

5/30/2020: American Seafoods Responds to Positive COVID-19 Test in Crew Member (Downloadable PDF)

 

Supporting our communities

American Seafoods is committed to helping people eat nutritious, sustainable meals – no matter the circumstances. In support of people struggling with hunger and food insecurity, we have donated nearly 28,000 servings of 100% Wild Alaska Pollock to communities hit hardest by COVID-19. Read more here.

American Seafoods is a proud supporter of SeaShare – a non-profit that partners with the seafood industry to bring nutritious meals to food banks in Alaska and the lower 48. So far in 2020 we’ve donated 75,000 pounds of product to SeaShare.

Read more about our work with communities here.

Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19

American Seafoods is committed to the health and safety of our crew, employees, and the communities we operate in. It is our top priority. We have a "Fit for Duty" requirement for our crew and this year we added new Covid-19 related testing and screening procedures for all crew prior to departure. Those include:

  • Quarantine, Testing and Screening
    All new crew members are quarantined for a minimum of 14 days before boarding their vessels.

    Quarantined crew members undergo 2 nasal swab PCR tests, administered on different days, to test for COVID-19. Test results take approximately 24 hours. Only individuals with two negative PCR tests are allowed to board the already disinfected vessels.

  • Cleaning/Isolation Preparation
    Each vessel undergoes an enhanced cleaning procedure prior to crew boarding. While at sea, enhanced cleaning procedures continue.

    Each vessel has isolation space to separate someone with signs or symptoms of a COVID-like illness. Special attention has been given to airflow to and from these isolation rooms.

  • At Sea Precautions
    Each vessel follows protocols to mitigate the spread of any illness aboard. These protocols include continuing to closely monitor crew members after they board, wearing face coverings in common areas, new galley procedures, and no-contact off-load operations and supply replenishment.

  • Caring for crew members who show signs or symptoms of COVID-19 at sea
    Each of our vessels has a plan in place to ensure that on-board crew receive appropriate care in the event of a potential infection. The vessel is equipped with an isolation room and a supply of medical equipment that is appropriate for a COVID-19 response. This includes surgical and N95 masks, protective gowns, face shields or goggles, thermometers, pulse oximeters, and medication. Contracted medics are aboard each vessel to assist with COVID-19 monitoring and care. Additionally, we have telemedicine capabilities so that our on-board safety teams can receive real-time guidance and advice from onshore medical professionals, if needed.

  • Informing our communities
    The U.S. Coast Guard and CDC are notified according to agency requirements. COVID-19 protocols are followed when crew members show signs of illness. Those crew members are carefully assessed in consultation with telemedical providers to determine the course of care and protection.

    Every effort is made to separate an infected individual from members of the general public. If the individual is transferred from the vessel to a local medical facility, appropriate protection measures like wearing PPE are taken and the facility is notified in advance that the patient may have COVID-19. If the individual does not require hospitalization, that person will be quarantined for further testing in a pre-designated location where special precautions have been established.

Before beginning the current fishing season, we closely coordinated with state and local health authorities to develop screening and testing protocols to help protect our crew and people in the communities and ports where we do business. Those agencies have included: Alaska Department of Health & Social Services, Washington State Department of Health, City of Unalaska and Iliuliuk Family and Health Services, Public Health—Seattle & King County, the ports of Dutch Harbor, Seattle, and Bellingham, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the University of Washington. Throughout this process, we also monitor guidance coming from the CDC.

The Food and Drug administration has stated on several occasions that food and food packaging have not been associated with transmission of COVID-19, and there is no reason to be concerned about transmission of the virus from food. Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes the FDA finding.

American Seafoods Company

American Seafoods Company operates a fleet of six fishing vessels in the sustainable fisheries of the Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. The company is the world’s largest at-sea processor of Wild Alaska Pollock and holds the largest allocation of Wild Pacific Hake (Whiting).

Crew aboard the vessels process, package, and quickly freeze every product while still at sea ensuring high quality for the consumer. Seafood products include whole fillets, surimi, roe, fish oil, and fishmeal – for distribution around the globe. The company’s vessels produce up to 150 MT of seafood each day. That unique capacity, along with control over a worldwide distribution network, affords unprecedented opportunities for the delivery virtually year-round. There are approximately 800 vessel crew members across American Seafoods Company’s fleet.

Commitment to conservation

Regular equipment upgrades and pioneering fishing practices help improve efficiencies and minimize environmental impact. Through the late 1990s, the company led the effort to establish conservation cooperatives that would work to establish equitable quotas for all harvesters while sustaining the fisheries for future generations. Additionally, as champion of the American Fisheries Act of 1998, American Seafoods helped to revolutionize for the better how fisheries are managed in the United States.

The fleet

American Seafoods operates Det Norske Veritas (DNV) vessels, meeting a set of safety, reliability, and environmental standards set by the international accreditation and classification society. In addition to crew, observers from the National Marine Fisheries Service are aboard each vessel to gather data and ensure compliance with fishing and safety regulations.

Vessels in the fleet include American Dynasty, American Triumph, Katie Ann, Northern Eagle, Northern Jaeger, and Ocean Rover. All are U.S. flagged.

American Seafoods is based in Seattle, WA and Dutch Harbor, AK. Additional information is available at www.americanseafoods.com.