External Constraint on Scheduled Container Liner Shipping Operations: A View from Economic Regulation in European Union

The container shipping sector which provides scheduled services on a global basis is facing unprecedented challenges from not only the impact of the global financial crises of 2009 and the Euro zone crises of 2011, but also the European Union's decision to repeal EC Regulations 4056/86 with effect from October 2008. In addition evolving economic regulations are seen to be increasingly hostile also from the USA and other jurisdictions towards collaboration in the sector. The likely consequences of these challenges are on the sector's ability to continue to engage in horizontal collaboration without price and supply regulation. Findings suggest that in the face of these challenges, the industry appears to be more concentrated and oligopolistic in structure and thus impacting on the provision of container shipping services on global basis.