The Marine Phoenix is a refrigerated cargo vessel flagged out of the African nation of Liberia. The 20-year-old ship weighs more than 7,000 tons and has more than 400 cubic feet of space.

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In a statement released late Wednesday night, the Centers for Disease Control stressed that crew members on a freighter inbound to New Orleans were suffering from malaria and show no traces of Ebola.SEE ALSO: Common myths about EbolaFirst responders who took those individuals to the hospital wore protective garb as a precaution, though health officials noted early on that it was extremely unlikely that Ebola was to blame for the sickness on the Marine Phoenix.SEE ALSO: What to know: EbolaThe ship remained at anchor in the Mississippi River near Belle Chasse. It was expected to continue its voyage to New Orleans early on Thursday.Read more from WDSU.comThe full statement from the CDC follows:CDC, along with local and federal officials, responded today to a report of illness on a ship at the Port of New Orleans. Earlier today, local EMS transferred three of the ship’s crew members to a local hospital.The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) confirmed a positive test result this evening for malaria in the patient being treated at a New Orleans-area hospital. DHH shared this information with CDC and local officials. The other two patients had mild symptoms and are being assessed. Another ill crew member disembarked in the Bahamas two days ago, where he was diagnosed with malaria and later died.Malaria is spread by mosquitoes and does not spread from person to person. Approximately 1,500-2,000 cases are reported every year in the United States, almost all in recent travelers.The ship’s itinerary included Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in addition to other ports. Based on a hospital’s request, CDC conducted testing on the crew member who died, and the results showed that this crew member was negative for the type of Ebola that is causing the current outbreak in West Africa. Ebola is not suspected as a cause of the other crew members’ illnesses. No crew members had known exposures to Ebola.CDC will continue to work closely with the hospital and local health authorities.For more information about CDC’s role in responding to reports of illnesses on ships and airplanes, visit www.cdc.gov/quarantine/quarantine-stations-us.htmlUPDATE: One dead, three hospitalized with malaria from ship inbound from AfricaWATCH: Plaquemines Parish President provides update on sick crew from African shipRAW VIDEO: Sick crew arrive at hospitalSign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!