Quarantined Ship With Spiders Aboard Will Be Sent Back To Korea

The M.V. ALTAVIA, a Liberian flagged ship carrying thousand of spiders will be heading back to Korea. The Department of Agriculture notified the Altavia that they must leave, without unloading their entire cargo, within the next few days.

When the ship docked and was given the clearance to offload its cargo, port stevedores found thousands of spiders. They quickly called Customs and Quarntine and the ship was ordered out to the quarantine anchorage in outer Apra Harbor.

The ship's cargo was construction material to be used to build a facility to house crews that would one day construct new U.S. military bases on Guam.

Based on Guam's scientist at the plant inspection facility in Tiyan, all of these species are not found on Guam. The best solution was to turn the ship around.

Proper documentation showing that the ship was fumigated, cleaned and no spiders are aboard the ship will be needed upon the ships return to Guam.