Two Bluff mariners positive

Two mariners onboard a quarantined container ship at Bluff have tested positive for Covid-19, the Ministry of Health says.

The Mattina container ship arrived at port on Sunday night, with all 21 crew undergoing testing yesterday. The ministry said rapid tests were ordered for two symptomatic crew members, while the test results for the remaining crew were pending. Officials said the condition of the two symptomatic cases was ‘‘improving’’.

Southern District Health Board officials were working with other government agencies to determine the next steps for the ship. Until any decisions were made, all crew members would remain on board the vessel in Bluff.

The Ministry of Health confirmed the vessel was quarantined in a ‘‘secure area of the port’’, inaccessible to the public. This is the third foreignflagged vessel stationed off New Zealand confirmed to be carrying Covid-positive mariners. Sixteen crew of the Viking Bay fishing vessel, which arrived in Wellington last Monday, tested positive and are in managed isolation. Of the four crew who remained onboard, three returned positive tests on Sunday.

The Playa Zahara vessel had 13 of its 18 crew transferred to a managed isolation facility in Christchurch on Sunday. Five crew members remained on board and would be subject to daily welfare and health checks.

Six of the 16 infected crew were confirmed to be carrying the Delta variant, but weren’t linked to previously confirmed cases in New Zealand or on the Viking Bay vessel.