Conference

A conference, or shipping conference, is a group of liner operators on a trade lane that agree common freight rates and service conditions. Members fix tariffs and may pool or allocate sailings, which historically gave the group market power over shippers. The arrangement long enjoyed antitrust immunity: the EU repealed its liner-conference block exemption in 2008 (Regulation 1419/2006), ending the practice within EU trades, and conferences have given way to consortia and vessel-sharing agreements that cooperate operationally without joint pricing. The narrower consortia exemption itself expired on 25 April 2024.