Ms Berejiklian told 2GB on Thursday that the state's Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant had said "publicly from day one, that [NSW] Health responded to information they had and they exceeded the protocols that existed at that time." "The question remains, what information was provided to Health and other authorities," Ms Berejiklian said. The Premier stressed every passenger who disembarked was told to self-isolate. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "I am sorry about every single person who has this deadly virus and it is my responsibility to get to the bottom of what happened and it is also my responsibility to look every single Health person in the eye, which I have done, and they all assured me they followed the protocol," Ms Berejiklian said. "At the end of the day we had assurances that Health followed protocols, and those protocols have since been changed, and we relied on information from the ship."

In a statement Carnival Australia, which owns the Ruby Princess, said in response: "Nothing could be further from the truth". Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton also accused some cruise companies of "lying" about the health of crews aboard. “I need to get an honest picture of what’s happening," he told 2GB on Thursday. Two of the eight cruise ships carrying thousands of crew have agreed to leave Sydney and await further instructions in international waters. The Pacific Explorer docked at White Bay last month Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The Pacific Explorer, which has been docked at Sydney's White Bay Cruise Terminal for weeks, has been forced by NSW Police to leave the port and is now taking its crew to international waters to await further instructions from its parent company Carnival Cruises. Another unnamed ship has also been ordered to leave under the same circumstances.

Loading The remaining six ships in NSW waters, carrying approximately 8000 crew largely from developing nations like the Philippines, will leave for their ports of origin in the coming days, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said on Thursday morning. "If the crew is fit and healthy I have no hesitation in asking Minister Dutton or Border Force to enforce the orders to make them leave our shore," Commissioner Fuller said. Maritime law expert Professor Don Rothwell from the Australian National University warned that a humanitarian disaster could unfold if governments around the world do not work together to find a solution and the ships are forced to return home. Many cruise ships sail under so-called flags of convenience, meaning their home ports are typically low cost jurisdictions with tax benefits like the Bahamas, Bermuda and Panama.