Barcelona port mulls appeal against US$133,266 fine for truck cartel

THE Comision Nacional de la Competencia (CNC), Spain's competition authority, has fined the Barcelona port authority EUR100,000 (US$133,266) and two industry associations EUR20 million for running a trucking cartel for five years.

CNC ruled that an agreement existed between January 2006 and March 2011 to "fix prices and trading conditions, limit or control production and share out the market for the road transport of containers originating from or destined for the port of Barcelona".

The Barcelona port authority denies wrongdoing and is considering an appeal.

Said the port authority statement: "The port authority rejects having carried out any action potentially restrictive of free competition in cargo transport activities in the port. The performance of the port of Barcelona in this matter has been at all times guided by the search for dialogue and social peace."

CNC said that the cartel operated via an agreement between the Asociacion Logistica de Transporte de Contenedores (ALTC) and the Asociacion de Auto-patronos y Empresarios de Transportes de Contendores y Afines por Carretera de la Provincia de Barcelona (Transcont).

In June 2011, Spain's antitrust authority launched a detailed investigation into anti-competitive practices in container trucking to and from the port.