COSCO – one of the top-500 companies in the world and the largest shipping lines in China – has officially told customers that it will not accept shipment of solid wastes, including recovered paper, from a foreign loading port to a destination port in China effective from September 1st, 2020. So far, almost all large shipping lines engaging in global shipment of RCP, including Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, Yang Ming, Evergreen and COSCO have made similar announcements. To allow a small flexibility for RCP order execution, however, COSO says that customers with RCP import permits and quota allocation valid for the rest of 2020 may contact COSCO to discuss shipment arrangements.

The announcement is bound to add greater urgency to the RCP export business in North America and Europe. Whether or not orders are able to ship out on/before September 1st, or soon after under special arrangements, is now a keener issue than price in the order negotiation between buyers and sellers. Nevertheless, the price of double-sorted OCC (DOCC) has gone up US$25/st in North America since the start of August.