Two of Japan’s biggest shipping companies, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), have agreed to pay £54 million (about $72.3 million) to settle a long-running UK class action over price fixing in vehicle shipping.

The settlement was announced in London on Thursday and will be reviewed by the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) in mid-January 2026.

If approved, the total amount recovered in the case will rise to £92.75 million, following earlier settlements with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), Wallenius Wilhelmsen/Eukor and Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV).

The case was brought around five years ago by consumer advocate Mark McLaren on behalf of UK car buyers and businesses. It relates to allegations that major car carrier operators worked together as a cartel, leading to higher shipping costs for vehicles imported into the UK.

The claims cover about 17 million new cars and vans shipped into the country between October 2006 and September 2015.

Vehicles from many well-known brands were affected, including BMW, Ford, Peugeot, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Vauxhall, Nissan, Toyota, Citroën and Renault.

The UK action followed competition investigations in several regions. In 2018, the European Union fined car carrier operators a combined €395 million after finding they had colluded on prices, capacity and customer allocation in roll-on/roll-off vehicle shipping. Regulators said the behaviour went back to the late 1990s.

NYK and MOL fought the UK case, which went to a nine-week trial earlier this year. While a ruling was still awaited, the companies agreed to settle the claims without admitting liability.

The allegations included coordinating freight rates, allocating tenders, managing capacity and sharing commercially sensitive information to support higher shipping prices.

McLaren said the settlement showed how the UK’s opt-out class action system allows consumers and businesses to recover losses that would be difficult to pursue on their own.

Earlier settlements were reached with other defendants. CSAV agreed to pay £1.5 million in December 2023, while K Line and Wallenius Wilhelmsen/Eukor settled in June 2024 for £24.5 million and £13.25 million respectively.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal is expected to consider the NYK and MOL settlement in mid-January, with hearings reported for January 15 and 16, 2026.

If approved, compensation is expected to be paid to millions of UK vehicle buyers and lessees later in 2026, bringing the long-running car carrier cartel case to an end.

References: joc, seasnews