en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 10, EU regulatory filings showed that Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and BlackRock have withdrawn their antitrust filing for the acquisition of a stake in a Spanish container terminal. The transaction involved the Barcelona Europe South Terminal, operated by Terminal Catalunya (TERCAT), a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings.

The original transaction plan was for Terminal Investment Limited Holding (TiL) and Hutchison Ports to jointly control TERCAT. TiL is a container terminal investment and operation company jointly controlled by MSC and BlackRock; Hutchison Ports is the port operator under CK Hutchison Holdings and currently controls TERCAT.

The parties to the transaction submitted a merger filing to the European Commission on November 5, 2025. After a preliminary review, the European Commission launched an in-depth investigation in December of the same year, focusing on whether the transaction could push up container terminal service prices, reduce service quality, or restrict other shipping companies from using the relevant facilities.

The European Commission also focused on the vertical competition risks arising from MSC's simultaneous operation of both container shipping and terminal businesses. Regulators believed that after the transaction was completed, MSC could receive preferential treatment in berthing, handling, storage, and other terminal services, putting its shipping competitors at a disadvantage.

The terminal in question is one of Spain's major deep-water container gateways, capable of serving multiple large container vessels simultaneously, and features eight rail loading lines connecting the port with the inland freight network of Southern Europe. The withdrawal of the filing means that this round of EU merger review proceedings has concluded, and the European Commission has not made an approval or prohibition decision on the transaction.

This transaction was independent of, and initiated earlier than, the global port asset acquisition plan involving CK Hutchison in which MSC and BlackRock participated. The global port business that CK Hutchison intends to sell is valued at approximately $22.8 billion, involving 43 ports across 23 countries; this withdrawal pertains only to the TERCAT terminal transaction. MSC, BlackRock, and CK Hutchison have not yet announced subsequent arrangements.