The European Commission has confirmed that it has carried out a series of unannounced inspections at the premises of companies active in container shipping, across several EU member states.
EC officials, who were accompanies by their counterparts from national competition authorities, visited the companies concerned on 17 May as they had 'reason to believe the companies concerned may have violated the antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices and/or abuse of a dominant position'.
According to the EC, the inspections were a preliminary step into suspected anti-competitive practices, although it emphasised in a statement that inspections did not mean that companies are guilty of anti-competitive behaviour, nor do they prejudice the outcome of the investigation itself.
'There is no legal deadline to complete inquiries into anti-competitive conduct,' the EC noted. 'Their duration depends on a number of factors, including the complexity of each case, the extent to which the undertakings concerned cooperate with Commission and the exercise of the rights of defence.'
Widespread media reports have suggested that a number of Europe's largest container shipping lines are being investigated, including A.P. Moller-Maersk, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd, while the Wall Street Journal said that several Asian shipping lines with operations in Europe, including Orient Overseas International, Evergreen Marine Corp, Hanjin Shipping and Neptune Orient Lines, are also involved.
All companies have said that they will fully cooperate with the EC investigation.
