Denmark/China: Maersk appeals to Chinese regs for shipping line alliance

Maersk Line, part of Denmark’s Moller-Maersk, has reportedly reached out to Chinese officials in hopes of securing a smooth approval for its alliance plans with Switzerland’s Mediterranean Shipping.

The world’s largest container shipping company has reportedly spoken to the Ministry of Commerce, among other officials. MOFCOM dealt a blow to Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping earlier this year when it blocked their initial plans of joining with a third rival to form a mega-shipping alliance.

Now, the two shipping companies are hoping to meet a different fate when they appeal to federal officials in China. Reports suggest the joint venture has a better chance of earning approval as the companies will own less than 30 percent of the Asia-Europe shipping route market.

An earlier proposal for the two companies to team with France’s CMA CGM was denied by China after earning approval in other jurisdictions.

According to Maersk, its new joint venture will only need to file details of the plan with China’s transport ministry, but said that as a courtesy it approached MOFCOM to discuss the deal.

Full content: Reuters

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