EC CLEARS MAERSK/SEA-LAND TAKEOVER

   The European Commission has cleared the acquisition by Maersk Line, part of the Danish group A.P. Moller, of the international liner shipping activities and related services of Sea-Land Service.
    "Even though the merger will result in the strengthening of Maersk’s position as one of the leading companies in containerized liner shipping and terminal handling, the Commission found that on none of the markets analyzed Maersk would attain or reinforce dominance," the EC said.
    The EC analyzed the impact of the merger on various liner shipping trades, in particular northern Europe/U.S., northern Europe/Middle East, southern Europe/U.S. and southern Europe/Middle East.
"On none of these trades will the merged entity have more than a 25 percent market share," a spokesman for the EC said.
    The Brussels-based agency also assessed intra-Europe container shipping routes.
    The merger will also have little impact on container terminal handling in northern and southern Europe area, the EC concluded.
    Approval of the takeover by U.S. authorities is still pending.
The $800-million takeover of Sea-Land’s international activities was announced by its parent company, CSX Corp., and A.P. Moller, in July.