Wilhelmsen’s $400m acquisition of Drew Marine Technical Solutions hangs on a US hearing, following a challenge by the federal competition watchdog, which says the deal violates anti-trust rules.

The takeover would create, among other things, the world’s largest provider of water treatment chemicals for vessels by far, severely curtailing competition and the options available to global shipowners, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said in a ruling issued on 23 February.