From 1938 to 1940, the four Lloyd Triestino ships brought a number of Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria to Shanghai. Nazi persecution intensified especially after "Kristallnacht" on November 9, 1938. Then the number of the refugees increased dramatically as the ships became their lifeboats. Ultimately, 17,000 Jewish refugees came to Shanghai on the Lloyd Triestino’s ships. The refugee route via the ships was closed on June 10, 1940, when Italy joined the war. The liners’ operation was suspended indefinitely, and the "Conte Verde" was confined to Shanghai.