Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/348131
I DA U N I V E R S A L J u l y -Au g u s t 2 0 1 4 22 slapped a $225 million fi ne on six companies, including market leaders Wallenius Wil- helmsen Logistics, "K" Line and NYK Line for their part in a price-fi xing scheme on ocean freight rates on international routes. Whether the accelerating trade growth will come in time for some carriers is an open question. Some ro-ro carriers are still in danger of failing and others will have to with- draw from routes in the key northern Europe market when tough environmental regula- tions take eff ect next year. e once-buoyant Baltic Sea routes face further volume declines as the Russian economy hovers near recession. Shipping lines also face a tough battle with Eurotunnel, the operator of the undersea link between the U.K. and France, which has captured almost 39 percent of truck traffi c in the world's busiest ro-ro market. Further fi nancial hits are possible. Several class-action lawsuits were launched in the U.S. last summer, and European antitrust authori- ties are investigating alleged cartel activities. ere are also concerns that growth in global automobile exports will slow as production increasingly shi s to import markets. Outlook Brightens for Ro-Ro Carriers A A er suff ering through the longest recession in the crisis-ridden eurozone since World War II, roll-on, roll-off carriers could use an injection of good news. With a long- stalled economic recovery gaining traction in Europe and the outlook improving for car, truck and heavy equipment shipments, ro-ro carriers are fi nally getting it. at's not to say the industry is out of the woods. e last six years of economic ineptitude squeezed operating margins, drove weaker com- panies to the brink of collapse and stalled urgently needed consolidation, making the recovery all the more diffi cult. And just as the outlook started to brighten, Japanese antitrust authorities in March