The Blue Whale sails along the Yangtze River. (Photo: chinadaily.com.cn)

Seven cruise ships have been requisitioned to support Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, as "water hotels" for medical teams from all over the country, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The first of these cruise ships, the Blue Whale, set sail on Thursday from Taohuacun Ferry Port of Yichang, a Hubei province city on the Yangtze River, and arrived at Wuhan's Wangjiaxiang Ferry Port on Friday after a 28-hour voyage.