The Italian Antitrust Authority sanctioned two ferry companies, Moby and Tirrenia CIN which are both part of the Onorato Armatori group, with a fine of €29m ($36m) for abuse of their dominant position in the roro maritime links between Italy and the island of Sardinia.
The authority stated that the two companies involved acted with the aim of foreclosing rivals (such as Grimaldi Lines and Grendi Trasporti Marittimi) on the same maritime routes.
The companies were chaged with taking retaliatory and punitive commercial measures with those road hauliers which chose competing lines.
Onorato Armatori group refuted the authority decision claiming to have “always acted with fairness, in the exclusive interest of its customers and, if available, in full compliance with the service contracts”.
The Vincenzo Onorato-lead companies will appeal against the verdict, which originated from petitions signed by two logistics companies based in Sardinia (Trans Isole and Lucianu) and by its two competitor companies, Grimaldi and Grendi.
