News / Alliances sinking – EC says CBER 'no longer fit for purpose' and won't renew it

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2024 increasingly looks like a watershed year for container shipping after the European Commission today announced it won’t renew the sector’s exemption to operating shipping alliances when current legislation expires on 25 April.

The Consortia Block Exemption Regulation (CBER) was introduced in 2009, after the EC banned the old conference system that allowed carriers to coordinate on pricing levels.

CBER allowed carriers to continue operating vessel-sharing agreements and pooling capacity, and was extended in 2014 and 2020.

But the EC has now concluded: ...