But as the U.S. credit debacle leaks into China's slowing economy, COSCO has also felt the pinch. Yuan Xiaoyu, a company manager, said that the previously big increases in COSCO's shipping revenue have fizzled since October. Worse still, shares of COSCO Pacific listed in Shanghai have shed over half their value this year as investors cashed out on concerns over ship oversupplies and worries that the domestic economic slowdown would eventually dampen the seaborne trade.

Cai Zhongguang, a shipping analyst at BOC International (China) Ltd., said that the domestic dry bulk shipping sector, accounting for more than 70 percent of COSCO's total profit, is likely to face greater pressure since the country's foreign trade has shown signs of easing.

Analysts also have issued warnings about COSCO's container lines. The global downturns may well hit its container shipping revenues, which depend heavily on U.S. and European consumer demand, they said.

In defense

Following a series of recessionary signs that spooked the market, COSCO has acted swiftly to bring a measure of calm to its investors. This year it has switched some of its capacity from the port of Long Beach in California to Prince Rupert Port in British Columbia, Canada, which is about 1,000 miles closer to Shanghai. This will save its ships almost three days on each trip.

Meanwhile, the company has responded to the risk-ridden market with a clampdown on cash outflows to boost its balance sheet. Huang Tian, Director General Manager of COSCO Pacific, said in a printed statement that the group plans to trim capital spending for the fourth quarter and next year, and defer some new projects and restructuring of its shipping subsidiaries.

In addition, seven of COSCO's subsidiaries recently said they would sell part of their shares on the Tianjin Property Rights Exchange, in a move aimed at soothing the parent company's cash needs.

"We will continue to maintain a sound capital position as financial health matters the most in a fast-changing climate," Wei said.

Besides the company's self-rescue efforts, it has embarked on an innovative drive to push for combined sea-rail transport. In many ports in China, arriving containers must be first unloaded onto trucks and then go through complicated procedures before being transported to inland destinations by railway. In recent years COSCO has sought to simplify the transfer process and integrate sea and rail transport through closer ties with inland railway operators and local container center stations.

Under the amphibious transport model, cargo is directly unloaded onto trains for a faster rail travel to inland destinations. This would appreciably heighten transport efficiency and cut costs, said Liu Gang, Executive Vice General Manager of COSCO Shanghai International Ocean Freight and Forwarding Co. This is commonplace in Europe and is expected to be promoted in China, he added.

"The shipping sector has hit rock bottom, but will not collapse," Liu said. "Such efficiency-saving innovations are just needed to help shippers shrug off the downward pressures."

Wei Jiafu also echoed Liu's opinion, adding that global shipping sector would turn around next year.

"The current BDI dive was mainly caused by the shell-shocked investors who are acting on panic, not on reason," Wei said."But the diver has to come up eventually. I believe that shipping demand will be back in the first half of next year.

"It is impossible for the larger trend of economic globalization to take a turn back, signaling vibrant shipping demands in the long term. The shippers should make efforts to precipitate the turnaround in coordination with ship-builders, banks and ports."