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EU raids car shipping service firms suspected of cartel


    BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Friday it conducted unannounced inspections at several providers of maritime transport services suspected of operating a cartel in a coordinated action with Japanese and U.S. authorities.

    The Commission said its officials had carried out the inspections on Thursday in several EU member states.

    It did not name the companies whose premises it visited.

    Earlier on Friday, Norwegian shipping company Wilh Wilhelmsen said its 50 percent-owned Wallenius Wilhelmsen unit and EUKOR, in which it has a 40 percent stake, were under investigation by EU, Japanese, U.S. and Canadian authorities and were fully cooperating.

    The Commission said the companies provided maritime transport services for cars and construction and agricultural machinery.

    It said the fact that it had carried out inspections did not mean that the companies were guilty of anti-competitive behaviour.

    Investigations can lead to deeper antitrust inquiries and fines.

    There is no specific deadline for cartel investigations, their length depending on the complexity of the case and the extent of cooperation.

    (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels, Terje Solsvik in Olso; editing by Greg Mahlich and Matthew Lewis)