MAKING freight rate increases public may well be deemed an offence under European anti-trust laws if done to with the intention of inspiring concerted action to raise prices even if there is no conclusion involved, according to Alphaliner.

According to the European Commission (EC), making public announcements of price increases through press releases on their websites and to trade media "may harm competition and customers by raising prices", said the Alphaliner report.

"Prima facie evidence suggest that the EC may have a case against the carriers for price signalling, which involves communicating or signalling carriers' price increases to their rivals, for the purpose of having their competitors follow," said the report.

"Although carriers varied the amount of the rate increases by between US$25 to $100 per TEU at certain dates, it could still come under the EC's ambiguous 'concerted practices' rules as tacit collusion, which does not require an explicit agreement to fix prices," said Alphaliner.