A ferry service between Japan and China has been cancelled in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic sweeping the Chinese mainland.
Shanghai Ferry Co said the sailings of the Su Zhou Hao (built 1992) from Shanghai 11 February and from Osaka on 14 February will not proceed.
“Due to the recent circumstances in China with regard to the coronavirus epidemic, Shanghai Ferry Co, Ltd. has decided that the passenger services will be cancelled,” it said in a statement.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience caused but would appreciate for your kind understandings.”
Earlier this week Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam said train and ferry services would be suspended from Thursday, while the number of flights would be halved.
Separately, the number of confirmed cases of the rapidly coronavirus in mainland China has reached 5,496, health authorities said on Wednesday.
This surpasses that of Sars, the epidemic in 2003 that killed more than 600 people worldwide, reported The South China Morning Post.
