Maritime and Port Services
Competition law advisory for the Maritime and Port Services sector in Türkiye.
Maritime and port services are sectors in which access and market power may assume particular importance under competition law due to substantial infrastructure investment requirements and geographic constraints. Ports, terminal services, container transport, shipping agency services, warehousing and inland logistics represent different but interconnected levels of the same economic ecosystem.
Where alternatives to a particular port or terminal are limited within a region, the conduct of the port operator in related services may become more significant from a competition perspective. Bundling of services, third-party service providers' access to infrastructure, terminal tariffs, exclusive agreements, capacity allocation and the application of different conditions to companies active in neighbouring markets may raise issues relating to dominance and discriminatory conduct. In its decision concerning the Port of Antalya, the Turkish Competition Board assessed container stuffing services and related logistics activities within this framework.
KFD Consulting analyses the contractual and operational models of port operators, maritime transport companies and logistics service providers from a competition law perspective. The objective is not limited to reviewing individual contractual provisions, but extends to assessing in advance how decisions concerning infrastructure, pricing and access to services may affect competition in the market.