Warnings as MSC’s Hutch deal threatens competition

Regulatory scrutiny of the MSC’s acquisition of CK Hutchison’s non-Chinese terminals must be thorough in each jurisdiction, with industry experts accepting that the carrier will need to offload some terminals in some parts of the world to meet anti-trust rules.

The Switzerland-headquartered carrier has launched a $22.8 billion joint bid, with investment company Blackrock, for 43 terminals with 199 berths globally, including terminals in the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, located at either end of the Panama Canal, for the Hong Kong listed company.