24.02.15CMA Recommends CBER be Ended

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has recommended that the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (CBER) be ended on April 25.

In the U.K., 114 liner shipping companies are under the CBER.

Having consultation with the industry, the CMA has received feedback from some customers of liner shipping companies that they are not seeing the benefits from companies participating in consortia, including concerns about charges and service quality. It has also pointed out that many liner shipping companies already have to self-assess their consortia because their combined market share exceeds the thresholds allowed under the block exemption. The CMA has indicated that it is necessary to think again if the CBER will be applied to some shipping lines.