China’s COSCO Shipping wins US security clearance for $6.3b OOIL deal

Stacked containers, the Port of Le Havre, Seine Maritime, France, Thursday, November 1, 2006. Photographer: Andrew Wheeler/Bloomberg News

By Min Zhang, Se Young Lee

July 8, 2018

China’s COSCO Shipping Holdings said on Sunday a key U.S. review body has cleared its planned $6.3 billion acquisition of shipping firm Orient Overseas International Ltd (OOIL) on security issues.

COSCO said on June 30 that all pre-conditions for the OOIL offer made last year had been met after receiving approval by the Chinese anti-monopoly regulator. It already has approvals from European and United States anti-monopoly regulators.

In a regulatory filing on Sunday the company said the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States had notified it that it does not have any outstanding security issues following an agreement with the U.S. government to divest the Long Beach container terminal business to a third party. COSCO said ownership of the container terminal business will be transferred to a trust while a buyer is sought.

There had been concerns the trade fight between Beijing and Washington might end up hampering major deals by U.S. or Chinese firms seeking regulatory approval.

U.S. and China on Friday implemented tariffs against each other’s goods, with no signs of a near-term resolution.

COSCO’s acquisition of OOIL will see the Chinese shipping giant become the world’s third-largest container shipping line.

The deal is the latest in a wave of mergers and acquisitions in global container shipping that has left the top six shipping lines controlling 63 percent of the market and comes at a time when the industry is experiencing a recovery after a lengthy downturn.

Reuters

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In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

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  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
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