COSCO had established an integrated quality, environment and safety complex management system in 2000, Wei Jiafu, the company's president and CEO, said at the certificate-awarding ceremony on Tuesday.

In July, the company successfully passed the third-party authentication of ISO9001 2000 quality management system standards; the ISO14001 1996 environment management system; and the OHSMS18001, 1999/occupational-hygiene management system, Wei said.

COSCO thus became the first Chinese company awarded these three certifications, Wei said.

"Because it mainly involves the high-risk ocean shipping industry, COSCO has always attached great importance to protecting the safety of people and the environment," said Sun Jiakang, assistant president of the company.

The certificates of environmental and occupational-hygiene management systems will give the company access to the international market, Sun said.

Founded in 1961, the 40-year-old company is evolving from a traditional ocean-shipping enterprise into a transnational comprehensive logistics provider with a shipping agency, marine bunker supply, road transport, air freight forwarding and Internet business. COSCO also has expanded its interests in recent years to real estate, industry, international trade and finance.

(China Daily November 8, 2001)