MALLORCA TODAY - Shipping companies in the Balearics fined 54 million euros

The Spanish national competition commission has imposed fines totalling 54 million euros on five shipping and passenger transport companies operating between the Balearics and the mainland and within the islands. They include two companies well-known as ferry operators, Trasmediterránea and Baleària, which have been fined, respectively, 36.1 million and 15.9 million. The commission started an investigation into price fixing and the existence of a cartel last year. The commission's intervention could prove important in helping to make costs of shipping more competitive. The Balearics suffer as a consequence of maritime transportation costs.