Shipping Conferences under EC Antitrust Law


Book Description

Liner conferences are among the oldest surviving cartels in the world. Created in the 1870s they have existed since on all the world's shipping routes. With the approval or tacit acquiescence of governments everywhere, they fix freight rates, control capacity and share markets. The United Nations Code of Conduct for Liner Conferences (1974) granted them global recognition and prompted the European Community to recommend Member States to join the Convention on the Liner Code (1979) and to grant them the most generous and extraordinary block exemption from EC antitrust rules ever (1986). The European Commission's administration of the block exemption has clarified some of its aspects and, to a certain extent, limited its scope; but until very recently, it has not questioned the appropriateness of the exceptionally lenient treatment of liner shipping cartels in the European Union. After a report by the OECD Secretariat (2002) recommending abolition of antitrust immunity for shipping cartels in member countries, the European Commission launched a review of the block exemption (2003) which has led to its repeal (2006). This book studies first the origins, the early history and the regulation of liner conferences in the world and in the European Community, focusing in particular on the Regulation which granted a block exemption to liner conferences. Then, it examines one by one the four conditions for a block exemption to be granted under EC law, and concludes that none of them is fulfilled by shipping cartels. Finally, it proposes some alternative scenarios and solutions for the adequate enforcement of antitrust law in the maritime sector once the block exemption has been repealed.




Liner Shipping and EU Competition Law


Book Description

As of October 2008, liner shipping companies lose their privileged status under EU competition law due to withdrawal of the liner conference block exemption, which generously authorized horizontal price-fixing and similar agreements between liner shipping companies. Where the liner consortia block exemption does not apply, all cooperative activity should be carefully and individually assessed under the competition provisions of the EC Treaty. Alla Pozdnakova has taken this opportunity to research and write an in-depth study of competition law problems in the liner shipping context. Her analysis is not only the first to examine the new European regime, and thus the most up-to-date study of the subject; it is in fact the first major independent study of how Articles 81 and 82 EC are construed and applied to the market conduct of liner shipping companies. In particular, the author addresses the following legal questions: * Does cooperation between liner shipping companies infringe Article 81(1) even if it does not entail hard-core restrictions of competition? * Can a cooperative arrangement between liner shipping companies claim that the efficiencies they produce outweigh the negative impact on competition (Article 81(3))? * When do certain market strategies of liner carriers become an abuse of a collective or individual dominant position (Article 82)? * Does parallel pricing behaviour infringe EC Treaty competition rules? Systematically, the author considers various market strategies of liner shipping companies and tests them as to their compatibility with EC Treaty competition provisions. In doing so, she thoroughly analyses European Commission decisions and judgments of the European courts, applying them authoritatively to the liner shipping sector. In this way, her book provides a well-structured account that clearly identifies the legal issues that liner shipping companies are likely to face once the special treatment traditionally allowed them is withdrawn. A summary of current and prospective developments in EU competition regulation and policy in liner shipping rounds up the analysis. Liner Shipping and EU Competition Law will be a unique and powerful resource for practitioners and policymakers as liner shipping companies restructure their agreements and market strategies to accommodate loss of the block exemption. It is also sure to become a definitive analysis of the legal identity of the liner shipping market sector under European competition law.




Liner Conferences in Competition Law


Book Description

A liner conference, as a self-regulation organisational form of liner shipping companies, constitutes a typical "hard-core cartel" with significant anti-competitive effect. One of the main three trade routes of liner shipping traffic is the Europe-Asia Trade, on the two ends of which both the European Community (EC) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) play important roles in the international liner shipping market. However, the competition regimes on liner conferences in both jurisdictions are not equivalent. From a comparative point of view, this book reviews the historical development of maritime policy and regulatory legislation in the EC and the PRC, catches insight into the system of regulation regime and individual provisions in substantive and procedural meaning, and finally provides a wide-ranging perspective on the future competition regulation in respect of the latest developments in both jurisdictions.







Merchant Marine Miscellaneous


Book Description




Branch's Elements of Shipping


Book Description

Since it was first published in 1964, Elements of Shipping has become established as a market leader. Now in its ninth edition, Branch’s Elements of Shipping, renamed in memory of Alan Branch, has been updated throughout and revised to take in the many changes that have occurred in the shipping industry in recent years, including the impact of the economic crisis, the Panama Canal expansion and new legislation. All tables and data have been brought up-to-date and many new illustrations have been added. The book explains in a lucid, professional manner the basic elements of shipping, including operational, commercial, legal, economic, technical, managerial, logistical and financial considerations. It also explores how shipping markets behave and provides an overview of the international shipping industry and seaports. Filling a gap for the discerning reader who wishes to have a complete understanding of all the elements of the global shipping scene together with the interface with seaports, international trade and logistics, it remains essential reading for shipping executives along with students and academics with an interest in the shipping industry.




Essays in Honour of Judge Taslim Olawale Elias


Book Description

Text no. 1: The variety of topics covered and the quality of the contributors make these two volumes a necessary part of any law library in the world. The essays are designed to overlap in the well-tested and established fields and branches of law dealing with contemporary issues which lawyers, diplomats, political scientists, politicians and research scholars are familiar with. The essays fully demonstrate the depth of knowledge of the eminent professors and specialists who have written them. The two volumes of essays are divided into seven parts. Volume One, entitled Contemporary International Law and Human Rights, focuses essentially on subjects relating to International Law and is divided into three sections. Part one of the first volume encompasses Topics in International Law such as Some New Thoughts on the Codification of International Law by his Excellency Judge Roberto Ago; Evidence in the Procedure of the International Court of Justice: The Role of the Court by His Excellency Judge Manfred Lachs; The Validity of International Law: an Empirical Experiment by Professor Georg Schwarzenberger, with a particularly engaging and incisive Introduction to the two volumes of Essays by Professor Ian Brownlie, Q.C. Human rights subjects still hold pride of place in the thinking of many legal experts and scholars and that is clearly reflected here. The title of the second volume is African Law and Comparative Public Law. Part Five of the essays contains topics of interest in the African Legal system which has its roots in the British Common Law System. Constitutional Law is broadly covered in part six which forms a section of its own in Volume Two. Text no. 2: This Festschrift pays tribute to Judge Taslim Olawale Elias, the leading African exponent of International Law to date. The two volumes of essays are divided into seven parts. The first volume focuses essentially on subjects relating to International Law and is divided into three sections. Part one of the first volume encompasses Topics in International Law such as Some New Thoughts on the Codification of International Law by His Excellency Judge Roberto Ago; Evidence in the Procedure of the International Court of Justice: The Role of the Court by His Excellency Jugde Manfred Lachs; The Validity of International Law: an Empirical Experiment by Professor Georg Schwarzenberger, with a particularly engaging and incisive Introduction to the two volumes of Essays by Professor Ian Brownlie, Q.C. Human Rights subjects still hold the pride of place in the thinking of many legal experts and scholars which is clearly reflected here. The title of the second volume is African Law and Comparative Public Law. Part five of the essays contains topics of interest in African Legal system which took its roots from the British Common Law System. Constitutional Law is bloadly covered in part six which forms a section of its own in volume two. Quite apart from the variety of topics covered in this festschrift, the quality of the contributors to it, makes the whole exercise a necessary part of an important collection of any law library in the world. The framework of the essays suggest that they are designed to overlap in the well-tested and established field of law and those branches of law dealing with contemporary issues which lawyers, diplomats, political scientists, politicians and research scholars are familiar with. The richness of the festschrift is m.




Elements of Shipping


Book Description

Elements of Shipping was first published in 1964 and has become established as a market leader over its many editions. This latest version is entirely updated to take in the many changes that have occurred in the shipping industry in recent years and features new chapters on multimodalism, seaports and electronic data interchange. Emphasis is also placed on professionalism and the need to have the latest technology and professionally qualified personnel to operate a shipping service today. It remains essential reading for the shipping executive along with students and academics with an interest in the shipping industry.




Liner Trades


Book Description

This work offers a good understanding of the nature of world-wide Liner shipping trade including its structure and organisation as well as the methods of operation, technology and terminology used.