TACA decision delayed
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• The world's biggest container lines will have to wait another six weeks before their futures are decided by the European Commission.
A decision from all 21 Commissioners due yesterday (22 July) has been put off until 9 September, when it will be decided if the 15 lines forming the Trans Atlantic Conference Agreement (TACA) are abusing their dominant position by overcharging customers.
If found in breach of European law the container lines face embarrassment and the possibility of huge fines.
The 15 companies, which include MO Nedlloyd, NYK, Atlantic Container Lines, Hapag Lloyd, Maersk and Sealand, carry between 60-80% of all trade between the US and Europe and are allowed to fix prices on the sea crossing.
Also in dispute is whether the container lines are legally allowed to fix the prices of inland haulage on either side of the Atlantic. The Commission says they do not have the authority—a charge resisted by the container lines—and the issue is set to be decided by part of the European Court of Justice later in September.
Container hauliers—notoriously the worst paid operators on the road—have disagreed in the past over whether any European rulings against the lines would have a positive effect on their businesses.