China's Fuzhou port restricts ships from virus-hit nations
2020-03-20 13:34:40 [Print]
The port of Fuzhou in eastern China is restricting vessels arriving from nine countries in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus by visiting ships and their crew.
Vessels arriving from Japan, South Korea, Iran, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the US, and Singapore won't be allowed entry into the port until they've completed a mandatory 14-day quarantine, said people with knowledge of the terminal's decision. The countdown begins when ships depart from those nations, said the people.
Nobody answered calls to Fuzhou's port office. It is the world's 47th busiest port, handling 3.3 million 20-ft equivalent units in 2018, according to the World Shipping Council.
The mandatory quarantine will particularly hit cargoes from Asian countries that typically take a week or less to sail to China. It will also raise fears of similar steps by much bigger ports in the world's second-biggest economy, notably the major cargo hubs of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Tianjin that serve the country's biggest coastal populations.
Vessels arriving from Japan, South Korea, Iran, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the US, and Singapore won't be allowed entry into the port until they've completed a mandatory 14-day quarantine, said people with knowledge of the terminal's decision. The countdown begins when ships depart from those nations, said the people.
Nobody answered calls to Fuzhou's port office. It is the world's 47th busiest port, handling 3.3 million 20-ft equivalent units in 2018, according to the World Shipping Council.
The mandatory quarantine will particularly hit cargoes from Asian countries that typically take a week or less to sail to China. It will also raise fears of similar steps by much bigger ports in the world's second-biggest economy, notably the major cargo hubs of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Tianjin that serve the country's biggest coastal populations.
