CORRECTED-UPDATE 3-Australia sends troops to help contain virus on ore ship near Port Hedland

(Corrects third paragraph to say nine crew are on board, not
11)
SYDNEY, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Australian defence personnel are
being deployed to Port Hedland, one of the world's largest iron
ore loading ports, to help contain a coronavirus outbreak on a
bulk carrier that last changed crews in the major seafaring city
of Manila.
Seventeen of the 21 crew of the carrier have tested positive
for the virus, ship owner Oldendorff Carriers said in a
statement.
Ten of the infected crew have been moved to hotel quarantine
while seven infected workers remain on board as part of a
nine-person crew, authorities said.
Oldendorff said that the Manila crew change on Sept. 5
complied with all protocols.
"All crew members tested negative for the virus before
leaving the Philippines," Oldendorff said.
The ship, which was scheduled to collect manganese ore which
is used in steel production, is anchored off Port Hedland on
Australia's northwest coast.
The port is used by some of Australia's top iron ore miners,
including BHP Group BHP.AX and Fortescue Metals Group
FMG.AX , but operations had not been impacted, the Pilbara
Ports Authority said.
A spokesman for privately held manganese producer
Consolidated Minerals, which had expected the vessel, said a new
ship had been chartered and would arrive early next week.
The disruption would not impact annual shipments, it added.
Western Australia closed its borders early in the pandemic.
It now bars cruise ships but allows export carriers and limited
air arrivals. It has had no local virus cases for near six
months.
"We are well prepared to manage the situation in Port
Hedland, and every possible measure is being put in place to
protect the local community," Western Australia premier Mark
McGowan told reporters on Tuesday.
"We need to carefully manage this situation and those in
hotel quarantine are being kept away from the public and under
strict supervision."
Up to 10 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel were
expected to be deployed to Port Hedland after a request for
assistance from the state government, an ADF spokesman said in a
statement.
Australia's coronavirus hotspot state of Victoria on Tuesday
reported 10 new infections in the past 24 hours, turning around
a second contagion wave that only last month was infecting over
700 people every day.
The country's second most populous state has placed nearly 5
million residents of its capital Melbourne under one of the
world's most stringent lockdowns since early August.
The state, which accounts for the bulk of the country's over
27,000 infections, and 882 deaths, on Sunday lifted some of the
restrictions, including nightly curfews. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Path of Patricia Oldendorff ore carrier vessel https://tmsnrt.rs/3jc7AVz
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