Coast Guard Reviews Nearly 12 COSCO Ships in Qualship 21 Over Spying Allegations

1 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Oct 19

The Coast Guard ordered an immediate review of COSCO-controlled vessels in Qualship 21, a program that grants trusted ships benefits such as fewer U.S. port inspections.
Nearly a dozen COSCO ships were still listed in the program as of last week, even as lawmakers raised concerns that the Chinese state-owned carrier could be exploiting that status.
A letter sent to DHS by three House committee chairs cited a September Reuters report alleging COSCO used hidden equipment on ships to intercept U.S. and allied military communications off multiple coasts.
Earlier this year, the Coast Guard revised Qualship 21 rules to broaden “special circumstances” for disenrollment, explicitly covering links to sanctioned entities or other national security concerns.