Company History

On the morning of April 18, 1979 the cargo ship M.V. LIULINHAI steamed slowly into the Port of Seattle, escorted by tugboats and a fireboat shooting plumes of water into the air.  The bulk carrier, part of the fleet of the China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), pulled up gently alongside Terminal 91 to the strains of "It's a Small World After All, " and a Chinese song played by the U.S. Navy Band.  For the first time in 30 years, a ship flying the red and gold flag of the People's Republic of China had visited an American Port

The crewmen who secured the line were, in fact, tying together much more than a ship and a dock.  The berthing of the M.V. LIULINHAI symbolized a new era of trade between the United States and China.  Over the years, that trade has brought new prosperity and opportunity to both countries.

The History of COSCO 

COSCO first entered the world shipping market in 1961.  From a small carrier with four vessels in its early years, it has grown into one of the world's leading international shipping companies with 600 merchant vessels of various kinds with a total annual capacity of over 100 million tons.  With Beijing as its home base, COSCO has established a transnational operational network that encompasses Asia, America, Europe, Australia and Africa, and delivers services to more than 1,200 ports in 150 countries and regions.  Only about half the trade COSCO serves is directly to or from China;  the rest is between other countries, underscoring the global nature of its business.  Everyday, COSCO ships are arriving at major ports worldwide.

 

Beyond COSCO's success at expansion is the triumph of its philosophy of quality.  In the 1980's COSCO adopted a strategy which emphasized "service, safety, high quality, low cost, efficiency and convenience," with a goal of becoming a world-class shipping enterprise by the year 2000.  Through hard work, implementation of international management standards and continuous modernization, COSCO has achieved this goal.

Today, COSCO's operations cover every field of shipping business, including container shipping, bulk carriers, oil and LPG carriers and more.  COSCO continues to achieve and set higher standards of service, with larger, faster ships, better scheduling, specialized containers and state-of-the-art equipment.  From its state-owned beginnings, COSCO has grown into a dynamic, customer-responsive carrier, fully capable of maintaing its leadership in the highly competitive world of international shipping.

As one of the world's premier global carriers, COSCO has expanded and globalized not only its shipping business, but also its role in world trade, entering into partnerships worldwide.  COSCO Group is comprised of several hundred companies, more than 100 of these subsidiaries, joint ventures and representative offices are located abroad, employing some 4,000 staff outside of China.  COSCO ventures now include inland haulage and storage, passenger and cargo ferries, airfreight, port development, financial services, real estate, tourism and insurance.

March 1979 - Lykes Brother's vessel, LETITIA LYKES, makes its first voyage to the Port of Shanghai, the People's Republic of China.  They voyage marks the end of a more than thirty-year break in ocean shipping between China and the U.S.

April 1979 - COSCO bulk vessel, LIULINHAI, makes its first voyage to the Port of Seattle

September 1980 - Chinese Deputy Premier Bo Yibo and American President Jimmy Carter sign the first Bilateral Maritime Agreement between China and the U.S.

January 1982 - COSCO's first roll-on/roll-off ship, ZHANGJIAKOU, fully loaded with containers, arrives at the Port of San Francisco, initiating the first monthly liner service between China and the U.S. West Coast.

August 1982 - COSCO registers its first subsidiary, China Ocean Shipping Company, Inc. (COSCO, Inc.) in the United States.

November 1982 - COSCO's first full cellular container ship, FENHE, begins the first monthly liner service between China and the U.S. East Coast.

July 1985 - COSCO's roll-on/roll-off ship, XIFENGKOU, resumes semi-monthly liner service between the Far East and the U.S. West Coast.  Ports called are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, Canada.

August 1985 - COSCO North America, Inc. forms as a joint venture.

April 1987 - COSCO increase its liner service frequency between Hong Kong and the U.S./Canada West Coast from two to three sailings a month.

March 1988 - COSCO's three multi-purpose vessels, WEIHE, LUANHE, and TUOHE, each with a capacity of 1,140 TEU commence the third-string monthly liner service to the U.S.

April 1988 - COSCO expands the U.S. West Coast liner service to seven container vessels with a total capacity of 8,136 TEU.

April 1989 - The first new purpose built 2,700 TEU vessel, PUHE, makes her maiden voyage to Long Beach, California.

December 1992 - COSCO North America, Inc. becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of COSCO, Inc.

November 1993 - The first new 3,400 TEU vessel, EMPRESS HEAVEN, makes her maiden voyage to Long Beach, California.

January 1994 - COSCO transpacific weekly liner service is divided into two separate services, i.e. PNW and PSW.

April 1994 - The first new 3,800 TEU vessel, RIVER WISDOM, makes her maiden voyage to Long Beach, California.

June 1995 - COSCO commences South America West Coast services.

April 1996 - During its sailing to the Port of Long Beach, and under heavy weather conditions, COSCO's vessel GAOHE, successfully rescued retired U.S. Navy Captain William "Buzz" Radican after receiving a notice from the U.S. Coast Guard.  The Coast Guard awards Captain Shen Jugen with the "Public Service" honor.

June 1996 - COSCO, Inc. changes its name to China Ocean Shipping Company Americas, Inc. (COSCO Americas, Inc.)

January 1997 - COSCO signs a Space Sharing Agreement with K-Line and Yang Ming, expanding its service to include the Europe/USEC lane.  the three companies agree to share the same terminal and stevedoring company in the ports of New York, Norfolk and Charleston.

February 1997 - The first new 5,250 TEU vessel, LUHE, makes her maiden voyage to the U.S.

March 1997 - TRADE APPOLLO, the first vessel of COSCO, K-Line and Yang Ming's Europe/USEC liner service, arrives in the port of New York.

April 1997 - COSCO Americas, Inc. and COSCO North America, Inc. are certified ISO9002.

October 1998 - Space sharing with K-Line and Yang Ming in transatlantic service is extended to the U.S. Gulf.  TAS II calls at Charleston, Miami and Houston while TAS I calls at New York, Baltimore and Norfolk.