The Impact of Alliances in Container Shipping
This report assesses the impact of alliances on the maritime transport chain and its main stakeholders. Alliances have become a dominant feature of container shipping, with around 95% of the major East-West container trades covered by carriers that form part of three global alliances. The report discusses the impacts on competition and asks whether alliances bring benefits, and for whom. Finally, it presents policy options for governments based on the findings.
See also: Container Shipping in Europe: Data for the Evaluation of the EU Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (March 2019)
Policy Insights
- Adopt a presumption toward repeal of shipping-specific block exemptions from competition law.
- Improve project appraisal for port and hinterland infrastructure and adopt common principles for port pricing.
- Establish more coherent ports policies to clarify roles and reduce risk of creating over-capacity.
| Date of Publication | 2 November 2018 |
|---|---|
| Number of Pages | 127 |
| Document |
 impact-alliances-container-shipping.pdf |
| Publication Type | Case-Specific Policy Analysis |
| Publisher | OECD/ITF |