Vasco Shipping Services S.L. (VSS) is a shipping agency which acts as the exclusive representative for the Chinese shipping company COSCO for all Atlantic Northern Spanish coast and its hinterland. Also participates as shareholder in Cosvas Atlantic S.L., agents for Cosco in the Canary Islands (Spain) and West African area covered by the South of Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Cabo Verde etc., and in Vasco Shipping s.r.o., agents for Cosco in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The central offices of VSS are located in Santurtzi (Bilbao Port). The company is part of the renowned Vasco Catalana Group, which has over thirty-five years' experience in the shipping business. VSS was created in February 2000 after the COSCO department was demerged from the mother company, Vasco Catalana de Consignaciones, which had represented the Chinese company since 1991. VSS is constantly expanding. In recent years, it has grown apace with Cosco’s increased presence on the market. The Cosco group is now one of the great giants of the shipping business, owning and operating more than 600 vessels of all types and sizes, with a total deadweight capacity of over 35 million tonnes. Its regular lines include Cosco Container Lines (Coscon) which has one of the five largest fleets in the world with more than 150 container ships and 610,000 TEU capacity.