In the present study, an Element-Based Lagrangian Formulation for the nonlinear analysis of shell structures is presented. The strains, stresses and constitutive equations based on the natural co-ordinate have been used throughout the Element-Based Lagrangian Formulation of the present shell element which offers an advantage of easy implementation compared with the traditional Lagrangian Formulation. The Element-Based Lagrangian Formulation of a 9-node resultant-stress shell element is presented for the anisotropic composite material. The element is free of both membrane and shear locking behavior by using the assumed natural strain method such that the element performs very well in thin shell problems. The arc-length control method is used to trace complex equilibrium paths in thin shell applications. Numerical examples for laminated composite curved shells presented herein clearly show the validity of the present approach and the accuracy of the developed shell element.