Chinesepod - COSCO to go public in Shanghai

BIZCHINA / Center

COSCO to go public in Shanghai

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-06-16 10:56

China's biggest shipping firm, Cosco Holdings, is hoping to raise at
least 13.5 billion yuan (1.78 billion US dollars) when it launches 1.78
billion yuan-denominated shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange this month.

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COSCO starts Shanghai IPO, to list in June

A statement from the company said it was offering the shares at an
indicative price of 7.60 to 8.48 yuan each, cheaper than its Thursday
closing price on the Hong Kong Exchange of 9.64 Hong Kong dollars.

It is a rare example of a Chinese company returning to the mainland
market, said securities brokers, who anticipated that the price would
rise to 15 yuan by June 19.

The company would use the capital raised to buy 51 percent of Cosco
Logistics Co and 12 new container ships, according to its listing
prospectus. The funds will also be used to build new quays and for other
logistics projects, it said.

The company said 30 percent of the offering will be made available to
strategic investors, 25 percent to institutional investors and the rest
to retail investors.

Online purchases of the shares will begin on June 18, said the statement.

The company is scheduled to make its trading debut on the Shanghai Stock
Exchange on June 26, said a US-based news agency.

However, a woman who works with lead underwriter China International
Capital Corp, said that the trading date has not been fixed and the China
Securities Regulatory Commission will issue a statement later to inform
investors of the date.

On June 4, China's securities regulatory body approved COSCO's initial
public offering in Shanghai and said the company's entire capital stocks
should not exceed 8.9 billion shares.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)

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