The future of container shipping could be dominated by a handful of mega-carriers as alliances die away, according to shipping consultancy Drewry.

The company has weighed into the argument on continued block exemptions from competition rules for lines in Europe.

The European Commission is reviewing an exemption agreement due to expire in April 2020.

On one side is the OECD think-tank International Transport Forum (ITF), which has argued alliances are detrimental to competition.