Class action launched against shipping cartel
A UK class action has been launched against five of the world’s leading shipping companies, which have been accused of overcharging motorists and businesses by £150m for the delivery of new cars.
The class action has been launched by law firm Scott+Scott UK against a cartel including MOL, “K” Line, NYK, WWL/EUKOR and CSAV.
This legal action follows the European Commission’s (EC) ruling on 21 February 2018 that the above shipping companies had violated EU competition law, imposing fines of over €395m. The EC held that the shippers had coordinated rates, allocated tenders, coordinated reductions of capacity in the market and exchanged commercially sensitive information to maintain or increase the price of intercontinental shipping of new vehicles.
Mark McLaren, the representative of the claimant group of UK motorists and businesses who bought or leased affected vehicles, said: “When UK consumers and businesses purchased or leased a new car, they paid more for the delivery of that car than they should have done, as a result of a long-running cartel by five of the world’s leading maritime shipping companies. I have spent much of my career working in consumer protection and I strongly believe that compensation should be paid when consumers are harmed by such deliberate, unlawful conduct.”
Class members will not pay costs or fees to participate in this legal action. The legal action is being funded by Woodsford Litigation Funding.
