Samskip Against Eimskip-Royal Arctic Line Cooperation

Dutch container transportation company Samskip has appealed the decision of the Icelandic Competition Authority (ICA) regarding the cooperation of Eimskip and Royal Arctic Line (RAL).

The parties to the case are Samskip and ICA, with no further details unveiled.

Following Samskip’s appeal, Eimskip said it is “of the opinion that the appeal is unsubstantiated and will continue its preparation for the cooperation”.

“Eimskip trusts that the Competition Appeals Committee will issue its ruling as soon as possible,” the shipping company added.

In April this year, ICA approved the cooperation built on a vessel sharing agreement (VSA) between Iceland’s Eimskip and Greenland’s RAL.

Under the deal, RAL would be able to offer transportation services to the Icelandic market. Greenland would be connected to Eimskip‘s international sailing system with its weekly services that create opportunities for direct connections for Greenland to international markets.

As part of the cooperation, three 2,150 TEU container vessels are under construction in China, scheduled to be delivered in late 2019. Two vessels are being built for Eimskip and one for RAL. They will be deployed in weekly services between Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Island and Scandinavia.