At about 7.40pm, a fire started on board Ecomar G.O. Majuro which was docked at K4 terminal at Newcastle Harbour and loaded with coal.

Police said the coal ship had arrived in Newcastle earlier that day after leaving China on November 25.

A fire started in a storage room of the ship's living quarters which contained numerous items, including food.

The cause of the blaze is unknown.

Multiple crew members attempted to extinguish the fire but were unsuccessful due to to its intensity.

Following this, NSW Fire and Rescue arrived on scene at about 8pm and the fire was extinguished by about 9.30pm.

NSW Ambulance paramedics assessed all the 22 crew members on board the ship at the time of fire.

They treated three crew members for smoke inhalation at the scene and no further treatment was required beyond that.

The emergency response to the incident included NSW Fire and Rescue and NSW Ambulance, Port Waratah Coal Services and the Port Authority.

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