Antitrust Investigations

US Department of Justice drops probe into container shipping companies

One of the odder stories of recent years came to a close yesterday, after leading liner shipping companies confirmed that the US Department of Justice had closed its investigation into the industry that began with an aborted Box Club meeting outside San Francisco some two years ago. Maersk, MSC and Hapag-Lloyd told reporters from American Shipper they had been informed by the DoJ that the investigation had ended “without charges or …

The post US Department of Justice drops probe into container...

https://theloadstar.com/us-department-of-justice-drops-probe-of-container-shipping-companies/

Competition regulators order investigation into new Hong Kong Seaport alliance

Hong Kong’s competition regulators have warned the port’s container terminal operators that the new alliance unveiled yesterday will be subject to an investigation.
The Loadstar reported yesterday that Hong Kong’s shippers had reacted with alarm to the announcement that four of the port’s five box terminal operators – Cosco Shipping Ports, Asia Container Terminals, Hongkong International Terminals and Modern Terminals – had come together to create the Hong Kong Seaport Joint …

The post Competitio...

https://theloadstar.co.uk/competition-regulators-order-investigation-into-new-hong-kong-seaport-alliance/

Shipper hackles rise as Hong Kong box terminals announce operating alliance

A new alliance of four Hong Kong major container terminal operators has been slammed as anti-competitive by local shippers.
The Hong Kong Seaport Joint Operating Alliance Agreement (HKSPA), announced yesterday, sees Cosco Shipping Ports team up with Asia Container Terminals, Hongkong International Terminals and Modern Terminals.
According to Cosco, the four companies will collaborate on the management and operation of 23 berths across Hong Kong’s Kwai Tsing terminals, with the aim of …

The post S...

https://theloadstar.co.uk/shipper-hackles-rise-as-hong-kong-box-terminals-announce-operating-alliance/

Container shipping industry calls for five-year extension to block exemption regulation

Container liner industry groups today called for the European Commission to renew the block exemption regulation that covers shipping services for a further five years.
The current exemption, which allows carriers to operate as consortia in trades serving the EU and was introduced when the EC banned the liner conference system, is set to expire on 25 April 2020.
Earlier this year, a report from the OECD-funded International Transport Forum concluded that …

The post Container shipping industry...

https://theloadstar.co.uk/container-shipping-industry-calls-for-five-year-extension-to-block-exemption-regulation/

Dubai’s DP World seeks to quash India antitrust probe over Mumbai port

The Competition Commission of India has confirmed that it is investigating a complaint about anti-competitive practices in India filed by Singapore’s port operator PSA, which operate the fourth container terminal at the country’s flagship box gateway of Jawaharlal Nehru port. PSA had claimed the port’s private operators – DP World and APM Terminals – had prevented the PSA unit from collecting export containers arriving by train at the port for …

The post Dubai’s DP World seeks to quash India...

https://theloadstar.co.uk/dubais-dp-world-seeks-to-quash-india-antitrust-probe-over-mumbai-port/

US Shipping Act revision gives FMC power to watch shipping alliances with a sterner eye

US president Donald Trump this week handed the Federal Maritime Commission greater powers to regulate container shipping lines, following profound industry consolidation, through a revised US Shipping Act
The FMC Authorization Act of 2017 was signed into law by the president on Tuesday, “marking the first substantive revision to the US Shipping Act since 1998,” according to lawyers at Holland & Knight.
They said the move was primarily to address “antitrust issues related …

The post US Shipping...

https://theloadstar.co.uk/us-shipping-act/

DP World completes Unifeeder acquisition after EU competition green light

DP World has completed its acquisition of European feeder and shortsea shipping line Unifeeder after this week securing clearance from European monopolies regulators.
The €660m deal – the first in which a port operator has taken over a carrier – had been investigated by the European Commission’s competition department.
“The commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, as it would have a limited impact on the structure of …

The post DP World completes...

https://theloadstar.co.uk/dp-world-completes-unifeeder-acquisition-eu-competition-green-light/

Two-year probe clears port of Antwerp of breaking EU state aid rules

A two-year investigation into whether Antwerp port authority broke EU state aid regulations in its relationship with its major container terminal operators during the depths of the global financial crisis has ended.
The European Commission has ruled that it acted as a private investor would have.
In 2004, Antwerp port authority concluded concession agreements with PSA and DP World for 42 years each for the operation of its newly built facilities in the …

The post Two-year probe clears port of...

https://theloadstar.co.uk/two-year-probe-clears-port-antwerp-breaking-eu-state-aid-rules/

Container line alliances reduce shipper choice, says ITF as the EC reviews the rules

The EU should end the block exemption against forming consortia the liner shipping industry currently enjoys, says a new report from the OECD-funded International Transport Forum.
In September, the European Commission reopened its investigation into the block exemption which allows carriers to operate alliances on trades that serve the EU.
Brought into law in 2010 – following the EU’s decision to outlaw the conference system that allowed shipping lines to jointly set freight rates – the...

https://theloadstar.co.uk/container-line-alliances-reduce-shipper-choice-says-itf-ec-reviews-rules/

A marketshare conundrum for liners, as expiry of EC block exemption nears

In a year and half, the deepsea alliance structure could find itself on the wrong side of European competition legislation.
Yesterday, the European Commission reopened its investigation into the block exemption that currently applies to container shipping, and which allows them to operate alliances on trades that serve the EU.
Brought into law in 2010 – following the EU’s decision to outlaw the old conference system that allowed shipping lines to jointly set freight rates – the …

The post A...

https://theloadstar.co.uk/marketshare-conundrum-liners-expiry-ec-block-exemption-nears/

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