News / Lines not to blame, says SAL as ACCC opens probe into soaring freight rates

Dreamstime.com

Competition authorities in Australia have opened a joint investigation into box terminal and shipping line operators, as freight rates have soared during the past 20 months.

Carrier association Shipping Australia (SAL) has welcomed the investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and says the “current issues are caused by normal market mechanisms and by bottlenecks in the supply chain.”

CEO Melwyn Noronha added that the shipping lines made commercial decisions individually and claimed there were other challenges within the supply ...