China’s state-owned shipping stocks this week faced up bravely to heavy losses as a growing proportion of other companies suspended trading of their shares in an attempt to ride out the market crisis.

Of China’s listed shipping companies, only bulker and asphalt-carrier owner China Shipping Haisheng (CSH), which is in the process of being taken over and transformed into a non-shipping outfit, has had its trading shares frozen at the request of its new main shareholder.