Six car carrier companies who had faced fines of $75m over anti-competitive business practices in Chile have seen the final figure come in at a much lower level, with some escaping any sanction.
The Chilean competition court has fined two of the companies a total of $9.1m and has exempted or acquitted others.
The operators had been accused of taking part in a customer allocation scheme in which they competed only for new business in the ro-ro trade between Asia and Chile, according to a complaint filed by the Chilean prosecutor's office (FNE) in January 2015.
The final verdict
Chile’s Compania Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) avoided a fine because it revealed the existence of the collusion agreement and compensation procedure, according to press reports in Chile.
NYK of Japan also reportedly cooperated with the investigation and consequently received a reduced fine of $6.6m.
The Court ordered NYK's compatriot MOL to pay a $2.5m fine, reports say.
The companies had initially been looking at fines of $12.5m each.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen's subsidiary Eukor Car Carriers had faced a larger $25m figure.
Eukor has now been acquitted by the Chilean court, along with K-Line and Compania Maritima de Chile (CMC; formerly Compania Chilena de Navegacion Interoceanica).
In April 2015, Eukor, K-Line and MOL filed court papers denying the FNE's claims, arguing that prosecutors failed to provide clear descriptions of any alleged illegal behaviour by the companies.
The Chilean legal process allows for the parties to appeal the verdict to the Supreme Court, if they wish.
Last year Eukor, CSAV, K Line and NYK were together fined a total of EUR 395m ($487m) in Europe for violating European Commission competition rules and participating in a cartel.
MOL blew the whistle on the cartel activities and received no fine from the European proceedings.
