COSCO Shipping issued a strongly worded statement saying it “firmly opposes” false and unfounded claims by “certain media” alleging its ships have hidden equipment for the purpose of intelligence collection. Its strong statement followed a similarly strong response to Reuters from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., after it ran a story saying two unnamed senior Trump administration officials made the allegations.
The state-owned shipping company said it strongly opposed any acts that try to “undermine our corporate brand and hinder our global operations through dissemination of false or misleading information.” It cited its legal rights to protect its reputation and business interests.
A shipping major, COSCO has grown rapidly and continues to place large orders for new ships. It ranks as the world’s fourth-largest container carrier with 566 ships and a capacity of over 3.6 million TEU, according to AlphaLiner. COSCO also has operations in dry bulk and tankers.
In an exclusive story released by Reuters on September 1, unnamed Trump administration officials reported that COSCO ships have concealed equipment to intercept military communications near the coastline. They asserted that the data collection effort was being done for the Chinese government to collect communication signals from vessels and aircraft operating across Europe, North America, and Asia. The article asserts that the information permits the Chinese to monitor key shipping lanes and maritime routes...
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