Stena Line’s acquisition of two Irish Sea ferry services from DFDS has been formally cleared by the Competition Commission.
The decision confirms provisional findings published last month. The Competition Commission’s final report published today concludes that the acquisition has not resulted in a “substantial lessening” of competition.
It found that Stena will continue to face a direct competitor on each of the routes in which it operates following the acquisition. The report relates to services between Liverpool and Belfast and Heysham and Belfast acquired by Stena in December from DFDS.
The acquisition resulted in Stena shutting its routes between Fleetwood and Larne, although the Competition Commission found that this service would have been closed in any event.