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EU: Box lines offer to change pricing policy to appease antitrust probe

By  |  February 10, 2016

Leading shipping container groups Maersk, MSC and 13 other firms have offered to change their pricing practices to settle an EU antitrust probe and stave off any fines, three people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The case is being closely watched by other sectors such as supermarkets and chemical firms which use similar methods to announce future price hikes to enable customers to choose the best rates and are keen to get some regulatory guidance.

The European Commission opened an investigation into the companies, among the world’s 18 largest shipping liners, in November 2013 following dawn raids in May 2011.

The EU competition enforcer said the shipping companies may have been illegally orchestrating price hikes since 2009 via public announcements of rate increase plans on their websites and in the specialised trade press.

Full content: Reuters

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