Cosco Shipping Heavy Transport

Name

Cosco Shipping Heavy Transport

Legal name

COSCO Shipping Heavy Transport

Website

https://coscoht.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Lift Marine Transportation

NAICS

Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111), Marine Cargo Handling (48832), Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311)

SIC

Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Heavy Lift / Breakbulk & RoRo Project Shipping (TLADAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oil & Gas / Energy Project Transport (Rigs, Pipe, Modules) (TLADAGAE), Power Generation & Grid Equipment Transport (Transformers, Turbines) (TLADAGAK)

Keywords

• Heavy lift shipping
• Offshore transportation
• Semi-submersible vessels
• Marine logistics
• Offshore installation

Headquarters

HQ city

Katy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Time Charter Contracts: Vessels are chartered out on time basis to customers for offshore wind projects and oil & gas transportation. Examples include time charter arrangements for Seagreen jackets (Subsea 7) and Moray West monopiles (Ocean Winds).
2. Project-Based Transportation Services: One-time project transportation contracts for specific cargo moves including FPSO hulls, drilling rigs, modules, and other offshore structures. Examples include Shell Appomattox, Murphy Oil King's Quay FPS, TCO FGP-WPMP project (61 voyages, 196 modules), and Trion Project FPU.
3. Joint Venture Fleet Management: Commercial management of the combined semi-submersible fleet through joint venture between COSCO Shipping Specialized and Guangzhou Salvage, with 18 vessels by end 2023.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

COSCO Shipping Heavy Transport provides heavy lift maritime transportation and offshore installation services using the world's largest fleet of semi-submersible vessels (20,000 to 98,000 DWT). Core offerings include Dynamic Positioning (DP) floatover installations, transportation of FPSOs, FPUs, drilling rigs, and modules for offshore oil & gas, transportation of jackets and monopiles for offshore wind farms, modularized project logistics, general marine cargoes, and topsides decommissioning via its proprietary Twin Lift Solution.

Product overview

COSCO Shipping Heavy Transport operates the world's largest semi-submersible heavy lift fleet, offering a comprehensive suite of maritime transportation and installation services. The core fleet ranges from 20,000 DWT to 98,000 DWT vessels, supported by breakbulk and multi-purpose vessels. Key services include Dynamic Positioning (DP) floatover installations, modularized project transport, offshore wind equipment transport (jackets, monopiles), offshore oil & gas structure transport (FPSOs, platforms, drilling rigs), and decommissioning via the innovative Twin Lift Solution. The portfolio includes vessel-specific capabilities (Xin Guang Hua as the flagship 98,000 DWT vessel, Xin Yao Hua at 80,000 DWT, and Xiang Tai Kou as the new 65,000 DWT DP2 vessel) complemented by specialized engineering, voyage-specific design solutions, and qualified crewing services. The company also operates breakbulk vessels (Da Type, Song Type, Le Type, Log Carriers) for general cargo operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Semi-Submersible Heavy Lift Fleet World's largest semi-submersible heavy lift fleet (18 vessels, 20,000-98,000 DWT) purpose-built for transporting and installing offshore structures including FPSOs, drilling rigs, jackets, and modules. Available to oil & gas operators, EPC contractors, and offshore wind developers globally.
• Transport & Installation Services Dynamic Positioning (DP) floatover installation services using DP2 semi-submersible vessels. Pioneered by COSCO, this method enables quick offshore installations without traditional anchoring, is independent of water depth, and minimizes weather exposure. Targeted at oil & gas and offshore wind operators requiring topside/structure installation.
• Modularized Projects Transportation Transportation services for heavy and oversized modules and equipment, including total package solutions from grillage design to safe loading and discharge of modularized cargoes. Designed for EPC contractors and module fabricators executing mega-projects such as LNG plants and refineries.
• Twin Lift Solution (Decommissioning) Innovative topsides removal method using multiple DP semi-submersible vessels working in synchronized manner to remove and transfer topsides weighing from a few thousand tons to beyond 40,000 tons in one operation (under 8 hours). Targeted at decommissioning contractors and oil & gas operators executing plug-and-abandonment programs.
• Offshore Wind Transportation Transportation services for offshore wind farm equipment including jackets and monopiles, utilizing semi-submersible vessels with various deck sizes to accommodate renewable energy project requirements. Serves offshore wind developers (e.g., Ocean Winds, Seagreen) and their EPC contractors.
• Offshore Oil & Gas Transportation Transportation of high-value offshore oil and gas structures including FPS units, platforms, and drilling equipment using purpose-built semi-submersible heavy lift vessels. Serves IOCs and NOCs (Shell, TCO, Murphy Oil, Chevron, ADNOC, BP, Woodside/Pemex).
• Drilling Rigs Transportation Transportation services for Jack Up drilling rigs, Semi-Submersible drilling rigs, and Drillships. Since 2002, over 350 cargoes including drilling equipment have been safely delivered to oil & gas operators globally.
• General Marine Cargoes Transportation Transportation of various marine cargo types including construction vessels, lift boats, dredging equipment, barges, cranes, passenger vessels, and dry docks using semi-submersible heavy lift vessels ranging from 20,000t to 100,000t DWT. Serves shipyards, port operators, and construction contractors.
• Breakbulk Fleet Services Project and general cargo shipping services with a fleet of multi-purpose and heavy-lift vessels including Da Type, Song Type, Le Type, and Log Carrier vessels. Supports smaller cargoes that do not require semi-submersible capability.
• Crewing Services Highly qualified crew pool for semi-submersible heavy lift vessels, compliant with STCW, Maritime Labor Convention of 2006, and other international conventions. Masters require 12 months onboard CSGS ships or 7 months on SSHL vessels as chief mate before assignment.
• Voyage-Specific Engineering Solutions In-house engineering department providing comprehensive analysis including stowage, cribbing, seafastening plans, ballasting plans using GHS software, motion response analysis using OCTOPUS Office, and FEM analysis using FEMAP and NASTRAN. Delivered as part of every voyage and project.

Quantifiable outcome

• 63 voyages executed over 3 years for TCO FGP-WPMP project, delivering 196 pieces of cargo weighing 195,000+ mt over 1 million nautical miles
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.

• Guangzhou SalvageflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2023Joint venture partner creating world's largest semi-submersible heavy lift fleet. COSCO Shipping Specialized and Guangzhou Salvage combined their fleets (13 + 5 vessels) into a joint venture with commercial management handled exclusively by the JV and COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Transport. Fleet spans 20,000mt to 98,000mt DWT.
• DNV GLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering and validation partner for the proprietary Twin Lift Solution decommissioning method. DNV GL conducted engineering studies confirming the method's feasibility for removing topsides from a few thousand tons to beyond 40,000 tons using K-Class vessels and larger semi-submersibles.
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for Twin Lift Solution development. Tank experiments conducted at SJTU Laboratory to validate the removal method and inter-connected DP system for offshore environment operations.
• TrelleborgsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner supporting the development of the Twin Lift Solution decommissioning method, contributing expertise for the innovative topsides removal approach.
• AF Offshore DecomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient and partner for decommissioning projects. Jointly executed the world record Curlew FPSO float-on and load-in operation using 748 axle lines of SPMT, demonstrating the Twin Lift Solution capabilities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Royal Boskalis Westminster (Dockwise): Royal Boskalis operates the Dockwise semi-submersible heavy lift fleet, including Type 0 (Black Marlin, Blue Marlin) and Type 1 vessels that are the only direct global comparable to COSCO's semi-submersible fleet. Both transport FPSOs, FPUs, drilling rigs, and offshore structures on a project charter basis to the same IOC/NOC/EPC customer base.
• BigLift Shipping: BigLift Shipping operates a fleet of heavy-lift and semi-submersible vessels (including the Happy series) serving offshore wind, oil & gas, and project cargo clients. Direct competitor in the heavy-lift transportation segment with similar vessel capabilities and customer profiles.
• Jumbo Maritime: Jumbo operates a specialized heavy-lift shipping fleet (Jumbo J-Class, K-Class) including semi-submersible solutions for offshore wind foundations and O&G modules. Directly competes with COSCO on offshore wind foundation transport and modular project cargo in the European market.
• SAL Heavy Lift: SAL Heavy Lift (part of Harren Group) operates a multi-purpose heavy-lift fleet including semi-submersible capabilities (MV Svenja) for project cargo, offshore structures, and breakbulk. Direct competitor in project-based heavy-lift ocean transportation.
• Hansa Heavy Lift: Hansa Heavy Lift operates a fleet of heavy-lift multi-purpose vessels serving offshore wind, oil & gas, and project cargo customers globally. Direct competitor in project cargo heavy-lift transportation with overlapping vessel capabilities.
• Combi-Lift: Combi-Lift provides specialized heavy-lift shipping services for offshore wind foundations, oil & gas modules, and project cargo using semi-submersible and multi-purpose vessels. Direct competitor in the European heavy-lift segment with comparable project transportation capabilities.
• Mammoet: Mammoet is a global heavy lifting and transport specialist with marine heavy-lift capabilities (FPT series semi-submersible vessels) serving oil & gas, offshore wind, and civil construction. Overlapping customer base and capability set with COSCO in offshore wind foundation logistics and O&G module handling.

Broad incumbents

• Heerema Marine Contractors: Heerema operates heavy-lift crane vessels (Thialf, Aegir, Sleipnir) for offshore installation of platforms, jackets, and modules. Overlaps with COSCO on offshore installation services (especially DP floatover applications) and shares the same IOC/NOC customer base, though Heerema focuses on installation while COSCO focuses on transportation.

Others

• Subsea 7: Subsea 7 is a major offshore EPC contractor and customer of COSCO (e.g., Seagreen jacket transport). Compares as an adjacent value chain participant that bundles offshore wind and O&G installation services with its own fleet, partially overlapping with COSCO's installation-and-transport combined offering.
• Saipem: Saipem is a major offshore EPC contractor and significant COSCO customer (e.g., Tortue project with 82 structures transported). Operates its own offshore installation fleet and is a key customer/competitor in the broader offshore construction value chain where COSCO provides transportation services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cosco Shipping Heavy Transport