Liner Conference System

A Liner Conference System (also called a "shipping conference") is an agreement within the shipping industry in relation to ocean liners. Typically, the agreement is between two or more shipping companies to provide scheduled cargo and/or passenger service on a particular trade route under uniform rates and common terms.^[1]

Although a Liner Conference System allows shipowners to club together, enabling them to continue to operate a regular "liner service" and maintain requisite standards of service, there is a downside. Such agreements may establish protectionist organisations that can involve monopoly abuse and possible breach of competition law.^[2] For instance, under European Community Law, article 101^[3] of the Treaty of Rome (as amended) imposes a prima facie ban on anticompetitive "agreements between undertakings".^[4] However, the Encyclopædia Britannica site^[5] states that overall the advantages to the public of Liner Conferences outweigh their disadvantages.^[6]

See also

• Far Eastern Freight Conference