Maersk Line said it will implement its 2M east-west alliance with Mediterranean Shipping Co. in January following its approval on Wednesday by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission in a 4-1 vote.
In a statement on Thursday as reported by Reuters, Maersk said, “The U.S. was the only remaining jurisdiction where the parties had to obtain formal approval. Thus the parties can now implement the agreement as planned.”
In the FMC vote, Commissioner Richard Lidinsky was the lone dissenter — just like he was when the commission voted in March to allow the P3 Network, a vessel-sharing alliance that would have involved Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM. Chinese regulators then in June stunned the industry in rejecting the P3, saying it would be anti-competitive.
