New Coronavirus... Incheon-China Passenger Ferry Sea Route to Be Blocked

Incheon Port Authority, Preventing the Spread of Wuhan Pneumonia

Suspension of International Car Ferry Operations on 10 Routes

Cargo Transport Maintained on 5 Routes

On the 28th of last month, Incheon Port officials held an inspection meeting to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Port authorities are strengthening quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) via the sea. In addition, passenger ferry operations between Incheon Port and China have been temporarily suspended.

According to the Incheon Port Authority on the 4th, international car ferries on 10 routes between Incheon and China have completely suspended passenger transport since the 1st of this month.

This is the first time in 30 years since the Incheon-China car ferry route was established in 1990 that passenger transport has been halted. However, cargo operations will continue. Except for 4 routes undergoing regular ship inspections and 1 route where a container ship is operating as a substitute due to a ship fire last year, 5 routes will transport cargo only.

An official from the Incheon Port Authority said, "This measure is to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus through passengers in advance," adding, "The resumption of passenger transport between Korea and China will be decided based on future circumstances."

Regarding Korea-China international passenger ferries, 14 companies operate 17 vessels on 16 routes, transporting about 2 million passengers annually as of last year. Recently, all passenger ferries were suspended from January 25 to 27 due to the Chinese Lunar New Year (Chunje) holiday, but operations partially resumed starting last month on the 28th with the arrival of the Oriental Pearl 8 (China Longcheng~Pyeongtaek, passenger capacity 1,500) at Pyeongtaek Port.

Port authorities have already strengthened quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. On the morning of the 28th of last month, the Incheon Port Authority held an inspection meeting attended by the National Incheon Quarantine Station, Incheon Port Facility Management Center, and heads of international car ferry passenger companies between Incheon and China to respond to the spread of the novel coronavirus from China at the port operation level. From the boarding stage, passengers and crew undergo continuous temperature checks and are required to wear masks. Hand sanitizers are installed, and in case of symptomatic individuals, isolation room management and immediate notification to relevant agencies are conducted. Additionally, quarantine personnel at Incheon Port have been reinforced, and quarantine for ships arriving from China has shifted from terminal-based quarantine to onboard quarantine.

Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority has also established a defense system to block the inflow of the novel coronavirus. As the disaster crisis alert level was raised from 'Caution (Level 2)' to 'Warning (Level 3)', a 24-hour emergency duty system was initiated to prevent infectious disease inflow and enable rapid response. Emergency disinfection and quarantine are being conducted throughout the jurisdictional piers, and continuous monitoring is underway to track the arrival and departure status of ships calling at Chinese ports.

In addition, behavior guidelines for virus infection prevention have been promoted through electronic display boards and poster distribution at multi-use facilities vulnerable to infection, such as security checkpoints at each pier and coastal passenger terminals, which have many foreign crew members and tourists. Hand sanitizers and KF94 masks have been urgently distributed, and temperature checks, inspections, and searches have been strengthened for port facility users (crew members, passenger ferry users, port workers, etc.).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.