COSCO Shipping Lines

COSCO is an intermodal container shipping company, which means that it transports cargo by ship but also by train, truck, and other means. Like any company involved in overseas shipping, COSCO has faced its fair share of accidents. These have too often caused environmental damage and put workers at risk of injury and death.

About COSCO

COSCO Container Lines is headquartered in Shanghai, while the COSCO group, which oversees all aspects of the company, is headquartered in Beijing. Founded in 1961 and owned by the government of the People’s Republic of China, COSCO grew quickly to become one of the largest shipping companies in the world.

In addition to shipping, it offers:

• Terminal services
• Warehousing
• Insurance
• Real estate
• Ship repair
• Freight forwarding
• Intermodal transportation

The container lines part of the COSCO group is headquartered in Shanghai but maintains regional headquarters in several other cities worldwide: Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, New York, Hamburg, Dubai, Sydney, Beijing, and Singapore.

The company operates in 160 countries. It is the largest liner company and dry bulk carrier in China.

History of COSCO

The China Ocean Shipping Company was founded in 1961 in Beijing. It launched the first Chinese-flagged passenger ship. The company grew over the decade by buying more ships and expanding services.

It made its first trip to Europe in 1967, launching COSCO’s international shipping line. In 1978, the first container ship was launched, and by 1979, the company had made its first trip to North America. In 1980, COSCO founded its first international partnership with the Holland Transocean Company.

Over the next few decades, the company would continue to grow into one of the largest shippers in the world.

COSCO Operations and Fleet

COSCO offers several services and operates in hundreds of countries and ports worldwide. It transports cargo and containers via intermodal routes, offers terminal services in many ports, does freight forwarding, and is even involved in shipbuilding and ship repair.

COSCO Container Lines maintains a fleet of 160 container ships with a total TEU capacity of over 750,000. Although much of the company’s operations are conducted in China, it is also a big player in international shipping, covering hundreds of routes across the globe.

The Dangers of Container Shipping

Many things can go wrong in the container shipping industry. Several aspects of the shipping industry make it dangerous:

• These are huge ships that are operated by only a handful of people.
• Workers are also involved in moving the large containers from ships to ports and back again.
• They operate the massive cranes that lift these containers and must do so safely.
• They must navigate these massive ships into and out of busy ports and shipping channels.

So many things can go wrong with container ships, no matter how responsible the maritime company operating them is. When a company is negligent, people get hurt and even die.

These companies, like COSCO, are responsible for taking all reasonable precautions to provide a work environment that is as safe as possible for its workers.

Seamen on container ships face a wide array of possible dangers:

• Collisions between ships and between the ship and something else, like a bridge or canal
• Rough waters and bad weather
• Falling overboard
• Being struck by shifting cargo
• Equipment malfunctions 
• Piracy

COSCO Shipping Accidents

Many maritime companies like COSCO have experienced unfortunate accidents, some minor and some severe. COSCO is known for a few high-profile accidents that damaged ships and caused environmental harm, but fortunately, no harm to workers.

Engine Failure and Grounding

One occurred in Norway in 2009 when the bulk carrier Full City had an engine failure and ran aground in a storm. It spilled 200 tons of fuel in an area that was important to wildlife.

The company was responsible for ensuring such failures were not likely to happen by maintaining ships and training workers.

Grounding and Oil Leak

Another incident occurred in 2010 when the Shen Neng 1 ran aground in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It leaked oil into the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, a protected natural area closed to shipping through commercial lines.

It turned out that the COSCO ship was well off course according to the shipping plan that it had lodged with Australian agencies.

Collision in Panama Canal

In 2016, COSCO experienced an embarrassing accident that damaged its large container ship, the Xin Fei Zhou. Unfortunately, it became the first shipping line to have a vessel pass through the newly expanded Panama Canal.

COSCO was also the first company to have a ship collide with the new canal wall. The ship was damaged, but the canal was not significantly damaged, and no one was hurt.

Crane Collision

In another 2016 accident in Egypt’s Port Said, COSCO injured workers. The ship Hope collided with a crane in the port, causing several cranes to tip over, containers to topple over, and fires to start in the port.

There was even an explosion as chemicals spilled, and several workers were injured in addition to the huge amount of equipment and container damage caused by the crash.

Injured Workers’ Rights

If you find yourself in a similar situation or injured in an accident like those that COSCO ships have been involved with over the years, you should know you have rights.

You have rights under maritime laws to seek and receive compensation, whether you are a longshoreman, a seaman, or another type of maritime worker with a maritime company as an employer.

Depending on which law applies to you as a maritime worker, how you seek compensation for your injuries in a workplace accident will vary.

You can find out what to do about getting monetary damages by contacting a maritime lawyer. This is an expert in maritime law who can tell you what steps to take to ensure you get the compensation you are owed from your employer. Never agree to anything without talking to one of these lawyers first.