News Now truck manufacturers face


investigation into price-fixing One arrest as UK competition authorities swoop on Mercedes offices


Some of Europe’s top truck man- ufacturers were at the centre of new price-fixing inquiries last week, writes Katerina Kerr. They include Mercedes, Scania,


MAN, Iveco, Renault and Volvo. The UK’s Office of Fair Trading


(OFT) visited the UK HQ of Daim- ler’s Mercedes-Benz as part of “a broad-ranging investigation into the pricing of trucks”. One per- son was arrested, but later re- leased on bail. The OFT said in a statement it


would “not be in a position to conclude whether the law has been infringed until it has com- pleted its investigations and as-


sessed the available evidence”. It conducted searches at the


offices in Tongwell, Milton Keynes, under the Enterprise Act 2002 and the Competition Act 1998. Authorities have reportedly


spoken to MAN in Germany, which makes the TGX range of trucks, and Scania, in Sweden. Iveco, which is owned by Italy’s Fiat, said it was aware of the OFT probe and Volvo’s UK sub- sidiaries, Volvo Trucks and Re- nault Trucks, are also under investigation. All have said they would co-operate with the OFT. Cartel activity, if proven, can


lead to companies facing fines of up to 10% of turnover and crimi- nal prosecutions against execu- tives. Investigations into price-fixing have been going on around the


world in the air cargo, shipping and freight forwarding sectors. In a number of cases, cartel


members have acted as “whistle- blowers” in return for reduced penalties or immunity.


Countries begin nominating candidates for next IMO chief


Candidates are already lining-up to replace International Maritime Or- ganisation Secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos when he steps down at the end of next year, writes Katerina Kerr. The Philippines is nominating Neil Ferrer, Chairman of the Mar-


itime Safety Committee; Cyprus has nominated Andreas Chrysos- tomou, Chairman of the IMO’s Ma- rine Environment Protection Committee; Japan’s choice is Koji Sekimizu, Director of the IMO Safety Division; and it is reported that Monica Mbanefo of Nigeria


and Lee-Sik Chai of Korea will also be candidates. IMO rules state that a Secretary-


General can serve a maximum of two consecutive four-year terms and member states have until March 2011 to enter candidates. The election will take place the


following June at a council meet- ing in London, where the candi- dates will address the council in an open session. The decision on who will be the


new Secretary-general will be made by the council in a secret bal- lot.


Freighting Update | September 27, 2010 | F3


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