The raids come on the heels of an investigation into how container shipping prices rose in 2009 even as demand dropped and industry capacity expanded.
The commission said it suspected that “the companies concerned may have violated the antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices.”
Shipping executives in the past have said prices increased because lines laid up vessels and cut the speed of ocean crossings, a practice known as slow steaming, to pare overcapacity.
However, the shipping companies said they acted independently, in compliance with competition laws.