This study investigates the impact of shipping alliances and market concentration on maritime freight rates. For this purpose, we analyse Peruvian containerized imports at the transaction level using customs data and public mergers, acquisitions, and shipping alliances announcements from 2014 to 2018. Using a modified price-concentration analysis (PCA), we find that higher carrier-level concentration raises prices, while greater alliance-level concentration lowers them, particularly on smaller routes. Additionally, mergers and acquisitions tend to increase prices. Our findings are robust to different specifications and can be applied to countries with similar characteristics to those of Peru.
