Li Kelin, former president of China Shipping, dies at 76

Often referred to as the “father of the Chinese container shipping industry,” Li Kelin passed away Feb. 1, 2018 in Shanghai, according to a statement from China COSCO Shipping.    Li Kelin, the former president of China Shipping Group, died Thursday in Shanghai at the age of 76, according to a statement from China COSCO Shipping Corp. Ltd.
   Often referred to as the “father of the Chinese container shipping industry,” Kelin first joined the industry in 1961 as a captain for the Shanghai Shipping Corp. and was later named deputy director-general before assuming the role of general manager, according to China Vitae, a database dedicated to biographical information for top Chinese exectutives.
   After serving as general manager of the container headquarters at COSCO, Kelin became vice president of COSCO in 1993. In 1997, he was named president of China Shipping Group, also holding the titles of chairman and general manager of the company.
   Kelin was elected as a representative for the 11th Shanghai People’s Congress and was a deputy chairman of the Shanghai Shipping Association.
   Following his retirement in 2006, Kelin in 2008 was named chairman of Hainan PO Shipping, which declared bankruptcy in 2013.
   State-run China Shipping and COSCO in 2016 completed a merger at the behest of the Chinese government that created China COSCO Shipping Corp. Ltd.