As a major state-owned enterprise specialized in shipping tally services, China Ocean Shipping Tally Company (COSTACO) was established in 1961.
Since then it had been attached to the Ministry of Transport, the Central Enterprise Work Committee and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council chronologically.
In 2005, it turned into a wholly owned subsidiary of the COSCO Group as per the enterprise reform guidelines of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.
The business scope of the Company includes: checking cargoes and containers during the loading/unloading operations on/from the vessels engaged in international and domestic lines at China's ports; checking containerized cargoes during stuffing/stripping the containers; measuring cargo; weighing cargo; surveying ship's draft; supervising loading/unloading; inspection and identification of damaged cargoes and containers; issuance of tally papers and report; tally information consultation; sampling & supervision over loading of solid bulk cargoes which may liquefy, etc. With 74 subsidiaries throughout the country, the company provides all-round, all-weather cargo handling services.