Too Many Spiders Aboard
Posted on 20 July 2010 by LynThomas in Uncategorized
A Korean ship carrying supplies to build housing for 18,000 temporary military workers in the American territory of Guam, was denied permission to dock, after inspectors discovered thousands of spiders in its cargo.
“Before the M.V. Altavia initially docked, officers with the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency boarded and gave clearance for the cargo to be unlocked for offloading,” said Bernadette Meno, marking administrator for the Port Authority of Guam.
The Guam Department of Agriculture said hundreds of large spiders and thousands of smaller ones were seen when stevedores began offloading from the ship. The insulation and beams for housing units were part of the $200 million contract with Korean construction firms.
The stevedores immediately notified Port police of the incident along with the ship’s agent. The Port police also notified officials at the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency.
The cargo was returned to the ship and was sent back out to anchorage. Later the Agriculture ordered that the ship not be allowed to dock and was sent out to quarantine anchorage, in the outer Apra Harbour area. The ship was last ported in South Korea.
“When you get this many from this many various sizes, it’s definitely an infestation,” said Department of Agriculture Director Joseph Torres.
Agriculture officials said they didn’t know what type of spiders were on the ship, but it’s a type that is not normally found on Guam. There was concern the spiders could damage the island’s environment.
“It’s not on Guam,” Torres said. “We don’t want it here.”
If the species proves to be invasive, the contents of the container will be fumigated, paid for by the owner of the vessel. If more spiders are found the ship will remain in quarantine.
Vice President of Marianas Steamship Agencies Inc., Richard P. Sablan, said his agency is following the leads of officials from Customs, the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Coast Guard on the matter.
Infestations on ships are not uncommon, from insects, to mites, rats, cockroaches and fire ants. These can persist for years in ships, even after the initial infestation has been dealt with.
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