Blowback from disgruntled shippers is making it tougher for liner operators to get European consortia legislation renewed.

Papers submitted to the European Commission this month make clear the extent of opposition to exempting lines from normal competition rules when the legislation comes up for renewal in April 2024.

Liners want to renew the EC’s consortia block exemption regulation (CBER) that applies to consortia with a market share not exceeding 30%.