The Brazilian Association of Port Terminals (ABTP) filed a legal request at Brazil’s Administrative Economic Defense Council (CADE), in order to investigate Maersk and MSC’s impact on the port market.
In fact, ABTP accuses the two companies of abusing their domination in the maritime transport of containers business aiming to favor their own terminals, thus raising costs and reducing options for the flow of cargo in Brazil.
According to the ABTP, MSC and Maersk are responsible for 79% of containers in Brazil, while the control of the flow of cargo benefits the port terminals owned by the two companies.
Currently, the terminals controlled by MSC and Maersk are three in Santa Catarina and one in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, and Ceará each.
Speaking about the accusations on local media, esualdo Conceição Silva, president of ABTP, said that “the situation should still get worse because the two companies must reach the eighth container terminal, at Estaleiro Atlântico Sul (in Pernambuco).”
What is more, ABTP’s president is worried that, in more extreme situations, the 2M alliance’s market policy will end up making regions where the two companies do not have terminals less economically attractive.
