COSCO sails into profitable trade winds

COSCO Shipping Co, China's largest special cargo-related ocean shipping company owned by China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co, reported annual net profits of 315 million yuan ($52 million) in 2013, up 147 percent from the previous year, the company said in a statement.

A part of the rise was contributed to COSCO Shipping's acquisition of Guangzhou Ocean Shipping Co from COSCO Group in 2013. Armed with this acquisition, COSCO Shipping further diversified its specialized shipping business, expanded the fleet of specialized cargo ships and optimized resources to operate new and profitable shipping lines.

The company is optimistic that China's shipping market will recover, albeit slowly, in 2014 as the Baltic Dry Index, a measure of shipping rates for bulk goods such as coal, iron ore and grain, has recorded high levels in recent months.

Another factor in COSCO Shipping's net profit rise came after China's new subsidy policy to encourage the nation's shipping companies to reduce the number of old ships and replace them with new, technically advanced vessels.