Hong Kong Port Operators Offer List Of Concessions

A powerful alliance that controls much of Hong Kong’s major container port has released a list of proposed remedies aimed at addressing concerns raised last year by the city’s competition watchdog, though industry stakeholders on Wednesday, August 12, said the reforms did not go far enough.

Following a 17-month probe into suspicions of a cartel, the Competition Commission reiterated on Wednesday that the formation of the Seaport Alliance, a contractual joint venture formed by four of the five container port operators at Kwai Tsing Container Terminals in the New Territories, had indeed led to competition concerns in areas such as shipment between Hong Kong and mainland China, and logistics services within the local port.

In response, the alliance offered up a set of proposed remedies to ensure a level playing field over the coming eight years, with the Commission appointing a trustee to scrutinise compliance.

“The commission considers that the proposed commitments are appropriate to address its concerns, and it therefore proposes to accept them,” the watchdog said in a statement.

Full Content: South China Morning Post

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