European Shippers’ Council calls for greater monitoring of shipping line cooperation

The European Shippers’ Council (ESC) has called for greater data monitoring by national competition authorities following recent announcements regarding shipping line collaborations which, it claims, are bringing “the container liner market one step closer to total convergence”.

In particular, the organisation which represents the logistic interests of manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers, wants a focus on “operational and juridical links between ship owners” and the “correlation between price modification and capacity modification”.

According to the ESC, a collaboration between CMA CGM and Hamburg Süd, detailed earlier this month, could increase “the risk of reducing service quality and sailing frequency, free choice for manufacturers and retailers, as well as enhancing prices”.