Health authorities are monitoring a foreign cargo ship off the coast of Newcastle with 11 COVID-19 patients on board.
Testing on 21 crew members aboard the MV Spirit of Ho-Ping found more than half had contracted the coronavirus.
Only one person on the Panama-flagged ship has been vaccinated.
The Spirit of Ho Ping sailed from the Philippines on August 16 and has not docked in Australia.
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The testing followed a report to NSW Health of a respiratory illness outbreak on board.
A NSW Health spokesperson said Hunter New England Health was assessing medical care and public health requirements and liaising with the Port Authority of NSW, Australian Maritime Safety Authority, NSW Police and federal government departments over the outbreak.
