The French competition authority, known as the Autorité, has concluded that the capacity-sharing agreement between DFDS A/S, DFDS Seaways, and P&O Ferries Holdings Limited does not exhibit an anticompetitive purpose. This decision follows a complaint lodged by France Manche SA and The Channel Tunnel Group Limited, operating as Eurotunnel.

The investigation was based on Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article L. 420-1 of the French Commercial Code. The complaint alleged that DFDS and P&O Ferries had entered into an agreement to share capacity on their fleets operating on the Calais-Dover route, which included a mechanism to correct capacity imbalances.

Upon reviewing the case, the Autorité determined that the agreement's content, objectives, and economic context did not support the claim of anticompetitive intent. The agreement allowed both companies to share capacity, enabling each to utilize a proportional amount of the other's fleet capacity, which could be adjusted over time. This arrangement was found to have no adverse effect on their operational incentives, service improvement, or competitive pricing.

The full text of the decision, labeled as Decision 25-D-04, will be published on the Autorité's website after processing any business secrecy requests.