Shipbrokers in Italy are cautious but expect little commercial effect as a result of the nationwide lockdown the government imposed on Tuesday to mitigate spread of the coronavirus.

The Covid-19 virus has killed 631 people and has affected more than 10,000 in Italy, which is facing the world's worst outbreak outside of China.

But Italy's best-known shipbroker, Banchero Costa, doesn't expect to see any impact to its commercial operations, according to its managing director.