European Union antitrust officials raided the European offices of a number of Asian carriers on Tuesday in addition to European shipping lines as part of a probe into suspected price fixing in the sector, the lines reported.
Neptune Orient Lines, OOCL, Evergreen Marine and Hanjin Shipping all said that they were part of a European Commission investigation into the violation of antitrust rules.
The European Commission, the EU's executive wing, said it "has reason to believe the companies concerned may have violated the antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive practices and/or abuse of a dominant market position."
The EU outlawed price-setting liner conferences in October 2008 when it abolished carriers' long-standing exemption from antitrust enforcement.
