Cosco News

Glamox to Illuminate Offshore Energy Support Vessels for Sea1 Offshore

Glamox, a global leader in lighting, has secured a contract to supply lighting for four Offshore Energy Support Vessels (OESVs) being built for Sea1 Offshore.Glamox will supply a total of 8,000 marine lights for the exteriors and interiors of four vessels that will be used to support offshore energy installations.OESVs are specialized vessels that deliver logistics, transport, installation, maintenance, and operational support to offshore energy infrastructure - including offshore wind farms…

Two Chinese Container Ships Pass Through Strait of Hormuz After Second Attempt

Two Chinese container ships sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday on their second attempt to leave the Gulf after turning back on Friday, ship-tracking data showed.The critical waterway has effectively been shut since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.The vessels sailed in close formation out of the strait and into open waters, data on the MarineTraffic platform showed."Both vessels successfully crossed on a second attempt today, marking the first container vessels to leave the Persian Gulf since the start of the conflict, excluding Iranian flag vessels," said Rebecca

Chinese Container Ships Turn Back After Trying to Exit Strait of Hormuz

Two Chinese container ships turned backed after trying to exit the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, ship-tracking data showed, despite assurances from Iran that Chinese vessels could pass.The operator, China's COSCO, had said in a March 25 client advisory that it had resumed bookings for general cargo containers for shipments from Asia to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq.The CSCL Indian Ocean and CSCL Arctic Ocean, both Hong Kong flagged, have been stuck in the Gulf since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began on Feb.

CK Hutchison Banks 7% Profit Rise

CK Hutchison posted a 7% rise in 2025 underlying profit on Thursday, as the market awaits updates on the company's proposed sale of its ports business and other spin-off plans.The Hong Kong ports-to-telecoms conglomerate reported underlying profit of HK$22.3 billion ($2.85 billion) on a post-IFRS 16 basis. That compared with an HK$22.9 billion LSEG SmartEstimate and the HK$20.8 billion booked a year earlier.Including a one-time non-cash accounting loss, net profit fell 31% from a year earlier to HK$11.84 billion.The conglomerate…

CK Hutchison Says Panama Missed Arbitration Response Deadline

Panama Ports Company (PPC), a unit of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison 0001.HK, said on Monday that the Panamanian government failed to file its response by the March 13 deadline in an international arbitration brought by the company.PPC said the deadline was set by the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and that Panama sought a partial extension, saying it was not ready to respond because it had not hired lawyers and needed time…

Report: COSCO Shipping Suspends Operations at Panama's Balboa Port

China's COSCO Shipping has suspended operations at Balboa port which is located at the entrance to the Panama Canal, according to local newspaper La Prensa, which published a notice to clients from the shipping and logistics conglomerate.Balboa is one of the two ports at the center of a year-long saga involving Washington, Beijing and the Panamanian government. The move follows a ruling by Panama's Supreme Court in late January that annulled the contract to operate the port held by a unit of Hong Kong's CK Hutchison.APM Terminals…

COSCO Shipping Halts New Bookings for Middle East Routes

Chinese shipping and logistics conglomerate COSCO Shipping's container liner unit said on Wednesday it had suspended all new bookings for routes to and from ports in the Middle East region, including those in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.The move was due to escalating conflict in the region and traffic restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, COSCO Shipping Lines said in a statement.Bookings for routes to and from Bahrain, Iraq and Kuwait have also been suspended, it added.The company said it was evaluating follow-up disposal plans, including possible alternative unloading ports, for

Anemoi, COSCO Shipping Deepen Wind Propulsion Collaboration

Anemoi Marine Technologies and COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry have renewed a framework agreement to expand collaboration on the installation of rotor sail wind-propulsion systems across COSCO Shipping subsidiary shipyards.The renewed agreement builds on cooperation that began in 2022, during which the companies completed the installation of nine rotor sails at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry yards, including installations on very large ore carriers for Vale and U-Ming at the Zhoushan yard.Under the updated framework…

CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration over Panama Canal Ports Contract Ruling

Hong Kong's CK Hutchison said on Wednesday its Panama Ports Company unit has started international arbitration proceedings against Panama after the country's top court annulled its licences to operate two Panama Canal ports, in a case that could take years to resolve.Panama's Supreme Court last week ruled the contracts violated Panama's constitution by giving the company exclusive privileges and tax exemptions.It is unclear how long the arbitration proceedings could take, although given the political sensitivities involving the U.S.

LNG Shipping’s Long-Term Outlook Remains Positive

The UP World LNG Shipping Index gained 4.05% last week, closing at 182.36 points and exceeding the 180-point mark for the first time in its history. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% over the same period.Trading activity was robust, with volume well above average and a 15:4 ratio of rising to falling stocks. Several companies broke through resistance levels on strong volume, led by COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation (+10.6%) and Chevron (+6.1%). Shell, BP, Tsakos Energy Navigation, and Nakilat all moved above their respective resistance levels.Atlantic spot charter rates continued declining to $11…

Panama Court Quashes CK Hutchison Port Contracts

Panama's Supreme Court has annulled key port contracts held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison, leaving the future ownership of some Panama Canal operations unclear and possibly upsetting its plans to sell some terminals.Panama Ports Company (PPC), a CK Hutchison subsidiary, has held contracts since the 1990s to operate container terminals at the canal's Pacific and Atlantic entrances, separate from the waterway's operations.The decision could disrupt CK Hutchison's proposed $23 billion sale of dozens of ports worldwide…

Cadeler Launches 11th Offshore Wind Installation Vessel in China (Video)

Danish offshore wind installation firm Cadeler has launched its Wind Ace wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) newbuild at the COSCO Qidong yard in China.With the launching complete, Wind Ace has moved into the final construction phase, which entails installation of the remaining leg sections, the main crane, and the start of commissioning activities.According to Cadeler, Wind Ace A-Class WTIV will be delivered to the company in 2026, and will become the 11th vessel in its expanding fleet of wind turbine installation vessels.“Thanks to close collaboration between our local Cadeler site team…

Schottel Propulsion Chosen for Iron Project Tugs in Australia

Schottel is supplying propulsion systems and a unique control concept for barges and tugs serving at Mineral Resources’ (MinRes) Onslow Iron project.All seven barges and two of the project's seven tugs are newbuilds being constructed by COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry in Zhoushan and Guangdong, China. Five barges have already commenced operations at the Port of Ashburton (Western Australia), with the final units scheduled for delivery in 2026. The two tugs are also scheduled to be delivered in 2026.Jeff Weber…

Trump Administration Seeks to Negotiate with China on Shipping

The Trump administration said on Thursday it would pursue negotiations with China over its dominance of shipbuilding and ocean logistics as it formalized plans for a one-year pause on U.S. port fees on China-linked vessels as part of a broader deal to reduce trade tensions.The U.S. Trade Representative's office said in a Federal Register notice that it would pause for a year starting November 10 all punitive actions against China resulting from its "Section 301" unfair trade practices investigation.

Suez Canal Revenues Rise as Red Sea Tensions Ease

Egypt's Suez Canal revenues rose 14.2% year-on-year between July and October, the canal authority said on Tuesday, citing calmer conditions in the Red Sea after a ceasefire in Gaza and a pick up in traffic through the vital waterway.Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launched more than 100 attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait that links them in 2023 and 2024 in what they described as solidarity with the Palestinians over Israel's war in Gaza…

Global Partnership Launches International Maritime Future Technologies Innovation Center

Lloyd’s Register (LR), in collaboration with COSCO Shipping Group, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Southampton, has established the International Maritime Future Technologies Innovation Center.The new virtual center aims to advance research and development in low- and zero-carbon maritime technologies, intelligent ship systems and digital innovation.The center will serve as a global platform for collaboration between industry and academia, supporting the sector’s transition towards a smarter and more sustainable future.

Powering On with Methanol, or Not

This week, Rolls-Royce announced that it has successfully tested the world’s first high-speed marine engine powered exclusively by methanol on its test bench in Friedrichshafen.Together with its partners in the meOHmare research project, Rolls-Royce says its engineers have therefore reached an important milestone on the road to climate-neutral and environmentally friendly propulsion solutions for shipping.Also this week, Everllence announced the world’s first conversion of its…

Trump, Xi Pause Port Fees on Each Other's Vessels

The U.S. and China agreed on Thursday to pause tit-for-tat fees on each other's ships that became a major irritant in the broader trade war between the world's two largest economies and pushed up ocean freight costs.The move provides a 12-month reprieve on an estimated $3.2 billion annually in fees for large Chinese-built vessels sailing to U.S. ports and was among the trade deals reached in South Korea by U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.Early this year…

Everllence and Partners Complete S90 Methanol Engine Retrofit

Everllence has announced the world’s first conversion of an Everllence B&W S90 two-stroke engine to dual-fuel methanol running following the successful sea-trials of COSCO Shipping Lines’ 20,000+ TEU container vessel, COSCO Shipping Libra.The vessel’s 11S90ME-C engine was retrofitted to an 11S90ME-LGIM (-Liquid Gas Injection Methanol) unit.Everllence PrimeServ – Everllence’s after-sales division – partnered with COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry from concept to execution in delivering the world’s first S90 methanol engine retrofit…

Panama Canal Begins Industry Engagement for the Development of Port Terminals

The Panama Canal launched a consultation process with representatives of the maritime industry to identify potential partners interested in developing port terminals on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the waterway.Following a process similar to that followed for the introduction of the gas pipeline project, the Panama Canal convened a group of representatives from companies with proven experience in container port operations and container shipping lines.According to institutional rules and regulations…

Maritime Fees Spiral Deepens as US, China Trade Blows

The U.S. and China on Tuesday began charging additional port fees on ocean shipping firms that move everything from holiday toys to crude oil, making the high seas a key front in the trade war between the world's two largest economies.A return to an all-out trade war appeared imminent last week, after China announced a major expansion of its rare earths export controls and President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese goods to triple digits.But after the weekend…

Uncertainty Mounts as U.S. Port Fees on Chinese-Built Ships Near Deadline

The U.S. is one week away from imposing port fees on certain vessels with links to China, a move expected to cost the top 10 carriers $3.2 billion next year as President Donald Trump seeks to address China's growing dominance on the high seas."While some observers believe the October 14 deadline may be extended - or even scrapped - as part of broader negotiations, the uncertainty has already unsettled carriers, adding another layer of geopolitical risk to fleet deployment strategies…

USTR Fees Could Hit 35% of key sectors' ships

When fees from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) targeting Chinese dominance of the maritime sector come into effect October 14, 2025, 35% of ships in the combined bulk, crude tanker, product tanker and container fleet could be subject to additional fees when calling a US port. Even though these ships provide 44% of the combined fleet’s capacity, US importers and exporters should not expect increasing freight rates,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.Of the ships that could be subject to the port fees…