Xu Lirong News

COSCO SHIPPING has signed a cooperation agreement with e-commerce company Alibaba and its FinTech affiliate Ant Financial to digitalize the shipping supply chain.The Chinese firms will research and promote the deployment of shipping blockchain in China, working to facilitate the connection of shipping, ports, logistics and finance based on the technology, and to realize data connectivity through cross chain cooperation to build a platform for systematic cooperation between the upstream and downstream industrial chains.

China’s largest offshore oil and gas producer China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and Chinese state-owned shipping and logistics giant China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement.Capt. Xu Lirong, Chairman of COSCO Shipping, Wang Dongjin, Chairman of CNOOC, Mr. Fu Gangfeng, Director of the Board and President of COSCO shipping and Xu Keqiang, Vice President of CNOOC witnessed the signing of the agreement.Huang Xiaowen, Executive Vice President of COSCO Shipping and Ms. Wen DongFen, Chief Accountant of CNOOC inked the agreement on behalf of the two sides.Han Jun, Assistant to the President of COSCO Shipping and Chairman of COSCO Shipping Logistics…

The European Investment Bank (EIB) on Monday formally agreed to provide 140 million euros (USD $154.5 million) to support expansion and upgrading of Piraeus Port, Greece's main port.The largest ever loan for port investment in the country by Europe’s long-term lending institution, will support the implementation of part of investments at the Port of Piraeus in a total investment plan of more than EUR 600 million. The 20-year loan was signed in Athens in the presence of Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Xu Lirong, Chairman of COSCO Shipping Corporation, by Andrew McDowell, European Investment Bank Vice President, the Chairman of Piraeus Port Authority S.A.

Hong Kong-based international port operator Cosco Shipping Ports has completed the equity transaction of project company responsible for its greenfield subsidiary at the Port of Chancay, Peru.With the equitytransaction of the Project Company was officially completed on 10 May 2019, Port of Chancay became the company’s first greenfield subsidiary in South America and COSCO Shipping Ports plans to developing the port to an important gateway port in South America.In January 2019, Cosco signed a subscription and investment agreement with Volcan to acquire a 60% stake in the facility, which is located 58 kilometres north of the Peru’s capital…

China's COSCO Shipping Holdings Co Ltd said trade frictions and high oil prices pose risks for the global shipping industry this year, after confirming on Friday that its net profit for 2018 fell by more than half.The state-owned company, the world's third largest container shipping line, said net profit attributable to shareholders slid 53.8 percent to 1.2 billion yuan ($178.83 million) last year from 2.7 billion yuan a year earlier.It had warned profit would slump in January.Revenue rose 33.6 percent as demand for its container shipping and terminal business remained strong, COSCO said.

Global ports operator Cosco Shipping Ports acquiring 60% stake in Terminales Portuarios Chancay (Chancay Terminal) from Volcan Compañía Minera for a total consideration of US$225million.Zhang Wei, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Cosco Shipping Ports and  José Picasso, Chairman of Volcan signed the agreement on behalf of the two parties.The ceremony was witnessed by Mercedes Aráoz, Vice President of Peru,  Xiao Yaqing, Chairman of State-owned Asset Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, PRC, among others.Cosco Shipping Ports will partner with Volcan to build Chancay Terminal into an important gateway port in Peru.

The merger of Orient Overseas (International) Limited (OOIL) and COSCO Shipping Holdings offers can effectively combine the respective strengths of both and optimize our global network, thereby achieving greater economies of scale and synergies,  incoming Chairman of OOIL, Captain Xu Lirong, said commenting on the deal.This transaction is a common choice for both sides to follow the development trend of container shipping industry and realize sustainable development, he added."I would like to extend a warm welcome to OOIL for joining COSCO SHIPPING and express my heartfelt gratitude and great respect to Tung Chee Chen for his leadership and significant contributions to the impressive results achieved by OOIL over the past years.

The Russian natural gas producer, Novatek, has confirmed that it delivered its first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced by the Yamal LNG project to India on 27 March. "The LNG was produced by the Yamal LNG project, led by the Russian company, and marks the first ever delivery of Russian Artic LNG to the country," said the company. The cargo was shipped through the company’s subsidiary, Novatek Gas and Power Asia. Novatek’s Deputy Chairman of its Management Board  Board Lev Feodosyev said: "One of our core priorities enumerated in the Company's Corporate Strategy up to 2030, is the expansion of the supply geography and the growth of our presence in the key Asian markets. The first cargo delivered to the growing Indian market is an important development step in this direction”.

The Cosco-managed Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) and Shanghai International Port Group, the world's biggest commercial port, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) envisioning cooperation in infrastructure studies, personnel training, information exchange and technical assistance. The MOU was signed by Athanasios Liagkos Executive Management Consultant & BoD member of the PPA SA and the Chairman of Shanghai International Port Group, Chen Xuyuan. This development further highlights Piraeus's strategic position on the world map and especially on the New Silk road. The sectors of cooperation mentioned in the Memorandum are: Project Studies, Staff Training, Information Exchange, Technical Assistance, etc.

The Belgian dredging, environmental and marine engineering group DEME and COSCO Shipping - the largest shipping company in the world - will work closely on the development of offshore wind energy in China. The umbrella agreement was signed today in the presence of Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The attendance of both Heads of Government signifies the importance of the cooperation agreement and the Chinese vision concerning the transition to renewable energy. DEME and COSCO Shipping are both market leaders in their sectors and have found one another in a joint venture active in offshore wind energy in China.

China's biggest shipping company, COSCO Shipping, is aiming to more than double the number of cruise passengers using Greece's biggest port in Piraeus, in coming years, the chairman of the group, Xu Lirong said on Monday. "The movement of cruise passengers is around 1.1 million a year at present. Our short term goal is to increase it up to 1.5 million, and 3 million in the longer term," Xu said at a ceremony at Piraeus launching new docking space for cruise ships. COSCO Shipping, which owns the world's fourth-largest container shipping fleet, bought 51 percent of the port's operating company for 280.5 million euros ($315.5 million) this year, one of Greece's biggest and most strategic privatisations since a debt crisis began in 2009.   Reporting By Angeliki Koutantou

China's COSCO Shipping Co Ltd may consider buying the port assets of troubled South Korean firm Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd, Chinese online finance magazine Caixin reported on Wednesday. But COSCO Shipping has no plans to buy the world's seventh-largest container carrier's ships, Caixin cited the Chinese firm's Chairman Xu Lirong as saying. Hanjin Shipping collapsed last month. Earlier on Wednesday, a South Korean court said it has not yet decided whether a sale of the company is necessary. Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk and Paul Carsten

China’s state-owned COSCO Shipping Corp plans to launch cruise services in the South China Sea in July, reports Reuters. The first route is expected to travel from Sanya to the Yongle Island, part of the Xisha Islands in Hainan province. Its part of Beijing’s plans to transform several islands in the disputed waterway into tourist destinations to bolster its territorial claims. "It is practical to stimulate the local economy through development of tourism, logistics and infrastructure facilities," Xu Lirong, chairman of COSCO Shipping, said. China COSCO Shipping signed a contract with China National Travel Service (HK) Group Corp and China Communications Construction Co Ltd in late April, to jointly establish a cruise company to offer tourism services in the South China Sea.

China's largest shipping company by fleet size China COSCO Shipping Co has officially launched COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation Co in Shanghai on Monday, creating the world's largest oil tanker fleet in terms of both ship numbers and deadweight tonnage, says a report in China.org.cn. With a total of 105 oil tankers, including nine liquefied natural gas carriers and a deadweight tonnage of 17.04 million, the new company has the world's biggest fleet of oil tankers and the largest transport capacity of its kind. The asset value of COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation accounts for 11 percent of COSCO Shipping's total assets, and its oil tanker fleet holds 20 percent of the group's entire shipping capacity.

Greece has formally signed an agreement to sell a 67% stake in the Port of Piraeus to Chinese shipping company China Cosco Holding Co. Under the deal, COSCO, the fourth-largest container shipping firm and second-largest port operator in the world, will pay the cash-strapped country 368.5 million euros (418.8 million U.S. dollars), and also promises to invest another 350 million euros (398.9 million dollars) over the next decade in infrastructure work at the port. In five years of operation, COSCO aims to make the Piraeus port the south gate of the China-Europe land-sea express to speed up transportation between China and Europe, said Xu.

Off the coast of a nearly deserted island below the southern tip of Hong Kong, at least 10 massive ships that normally carry hundreds of thousands of tons of coal or iron ore lie idle near one of the world's busiest sea routes. These empty vessels paint a grim picture for the dry bulk shipping business that veterans of the industry say is grappling with an unprecedented crisis of too many ships and not enough cargoes. The hollow boats underscore the global economic doldrums that policymakers are struggling to overcome. "This is the worst we have seen in recent times. We have been hit by a perfect storm - huge order books, China slowdown…

China COSCO Shipping Corp Ltd  (COSCOCS), a new company formed by the restructuring of China's top two shipping firms, was officially established on Thursday (February 18). The Chairman Xu Lirong said his company,now the world's largest bulk vessel and oil tanker operator by fleet size,  is planning to deploy more resources to six new businesses. According to a report in China Daily, the shipping major will focus on logistics, industrial equipment manufacturing, financial and shipping services, investment, and operations linked to the country's "Internet Plus" development program. "New businesses such as multimodal transportation, warehouse network development…

Debut comes as industry battles prolonged downturn. China on Thursday launched a challenge to global shippers AP Moller Maersk and Mitsui OSK Lines, but analysts said the giant company must slim down its workforce and order book to weather one of the industry's worst-ever slumps. Created from the state-driven merger of former rivals China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company and China Shipping Group, China Cosco Shipping Corporation (COSCOCS) will control one of the world's largest fleets of dry bulk vessels, container ships and oil tankers. Its debut, however, coincides with some of the leanest times for shipping firms already mired in the…

The current chairman of China Shipping Group (CSG)  Xu Lirong handed top job at $74.7bn Beijing-backed merged entity of CSG and China Cosco Group. Xu Lirong has been appointed chairman of China Cosco Shipping Group, according to statements posted by the two groups on their websites Monday. Xu is a shipping veteran and served in senior positions at Cosco for more than 30 years before joining China Shipping (Group) as president in 2011. He was promoted to chairman in 2013. Xu' counterpart at Cosco, Ma Zehua, hits retirement age later this year and is expected to step down. Cosco Group Executive Vice President Wan Min will become president of China Cosco Shipping Group. China's State Council approved the establishment of China Cosco Shipping Group Ltd.

China Ocean Shipping Group Co (COSCO) and China Shipping Group Co will become a new entity after merging, led by the latter's current chairman, China's state-owned assets regulator said on Monday. The former rivals said in December they would merge through a series of asset swaps, creating units focused on distinct business areas such as container shipping and vessel leasing. Together, COSCO and China Shipping control 488 billion yuan ($74.7 billion) worth of assets, Barclays analysts estimated. After the merger, the resulting, newly established company will be chaired by Xu Lirong, the State-Owned Asset Supervision and Administration Commission said on its official microblog. The merger comes as the government moves to consolidate state-owned industries.

China's Ministry of Commerce has approved the merger of China Ocean Shipping (Group) and China Shipping (Group) so that the combined company can begin full operations. The company sources said, the newly merged entity will officially be launched and commence operations in Shanghai on February 18. Meanwhile, the shareholders of the Hong Kong-listed listed entities of China Ocean Shipping (Group) and China Shipping (Group) have approved the joint asset restructuring of the two shipping conglomerates. Three Hong Kong listed entities (China Cosco Holdings, Cosco Pacific and China Shipping Container Lines) received over 99% of the votes approving the reorganisation. Xu Lirong, current chairman of CSG, will lead the new China Cosco Shipping Corporation.

The scale of the current shipping industry downturn is unprecedented and a merger is key to riding out the tough period, the chairman of new shipping giant, China Cosco Shipping Corporation (COSCOCS), said on Thursday.   Xu Lirong was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event to launch COSCOCS, formed by the merger of former domestic rivals China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company and China Shipping Group.   With its proposed headquarters in Shanghai, the group will be one of the world's largest shipowners, controlling one of the largest fleets of containers ships, dry bulk ships and oil tankers.   (Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

China State Council has given the go-ahead for country's two largest shipping conglomerates to merge, continuing a trend in the industry to trim down state-owned enterprises, reports Caixin Media. The China Ocean Shipping Co. (COSCO Group) and China Shipping Group Co. have been working on a deal since August. The listed subsidiaries of the two firms are expected to make separate statements on their next step on December 11, the executive said. Meanwhile, WSJ reported that the shipping companies plan to issue details of their long-expected  multibillion-dollar merger plans as early as Friday, quoting people with knowledge of the matter.