Clearance for the acquisition announced last December was cleared under the EU Merger Regulation.
Under conditions of the approval Hamburg Sud has to from five consortia - Northern Europe and Central America/Caribbean (Eurosal 1/SAWC), Northern Europe and West Coast South America (Eurosal 2/SAWC), Northern Europe and Middle East (EPIC 2), the Mediterranean and West Coast South America (CCWM/Medandes), and the Mediterranean and East Coast South America (MESA).
“On these routes, the merged entity would have faced insufficient competition after the transaction,” the EC said.
The commission analysed the impact of the merger on 17 trade routes from Europe.
Competitive shipping services are essential for European companies and for the EU's economy as a whole. The commitments offered by Maersk Line and HSDG (Hamburg Sud) will maintain a healthy level of competition to the benefit of the very many EU companies that depend on these container shipping services," said Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy.
The acquisition of Hamburg Sud by Maersk is expected to be completed by year end.
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.
