Maritime competition as an economic phenomenon is currently influenced by a number of factors both at EU and international level. From a legislative point of view, the recent repeal of EC Reg. 4056/1986 affects the treatment of horizontal agreements not only in the liner but also in the bulk sector, which was excluded until recently from the scope of EC secondary competition rules. However, competition distortions are not only a question of private arrangements. They emanate also from measures and practices incompatible with the freedom to provide services, Member states’ protectionism and international mandatory regulation. This volume comparatively and comprehensively examines all these issues, by bringing together contributions from distinguished academics. Particular focus is given on private shipping cartels, the liberalization of cabotage and port services, indirect competition-distorting factors and the latest developments on international regulation of carriage of goods by sea.

Maritime competition as an economic phenomenon is currently influenced by a number of factors both at EU and international level. From a legislative point of view, the recent repeal of EC Reg. 4056/1986 affects the treatment of horizontal agreements not only in the liner but also in the bulk sector, which was excluded until recently from the scope of EC secondary competition rules. However, competition distortions are not only a question of private arrangements. They emanate also from measures and practices incompatible with the freedom to provide services, Member states protectionism and international mandatory regulation. This volume comparatively and comprehensively examines all these issues, by bringing together contributions from distinguished academics. Particular focus is given on private shipping cartels, the liberalization of cabotage and port services, indirect competition-distorting factors and the latest developments on international regulation of carriage of goods by sea.

This work is a reprint of a 1962 book, British Shipping and World Competition, by maritime economist Dr S. G. Sturmey. It seeks to explain why the tonnage of ships registered in the United Kingdom declined from forty-five percent of the world total in 1900, to sixteen percent by 1960. It presents four possible answers and proceeds to examine them in detail: changes in approaches to competition resulting in changes to the economic structure of the industry; international interference in competitive structures; unrelated factors, such as government policies that didn’t directly concern shipping but still caused an impact; and the internal actions within British shipping relating to changes in industrial circumstances. It is comprised of fifteen chapters, an appendix tabling the contribution of British shipping to the balance of payments, a bibliography, comprehensive index, epilogue, and a foreword from the series editor which states that the Sturmey’s arguments remain resonant in the field of maritime history in the present day. Sturmey makes a particular effort to place the activity in the British shipping industry into an international context for the sake of comparative analysis. It concludes that the decline of the industry was primarily due to internal decision-making rather than external factors - a conclusion that was considered divisive and provocative upon initial release, but has stood the test of time. The epilogue attempts to predict the future of British shipping post-1960, suggesting shipowners could improve the industry’s prospects: however, few of these predictions came to be.

This book considers the current legal issues affecting the air transport sector incorporating recent developments in the air transport sector, including the end of certain exemptions from EU competition rules, the effect of the EU-US Open Skies Agreement, the accession of new EU Member States and the Lisbon Treaty. The book explores the differing European and US regulatory approaches to the changes in the industry and examines how airlines have remained economically efficient in what is perceived as a complex and confused regulatory environment.