Taranto Arsenal, here are the 14 companies sanctioned by the Antitrust for San Marco, Saturno and Tremiti ships
The Agcm has imposed sanctions on 14 companies for a horizontal cartel implemented in the tenders announced by the Arsenale of the Navy of Taranto for the modernization of Nave San Marco, Nave Saturno and Nave Tremiti. All the details
The cartel of 14 shipbuilding companies involved in the Taranto Arsenal has been sanctioned by the Antitrust.
In bulletin 31/2023 of 08/16/2023 , the Italian Competition Authority announced that it had sanctioned the companies for an agreement restricting competition between the parties in the calls for tenders for various types of supplies to naval vessels banned from the Arsenal of the Navy of Taranto.
On 2 August 2021, the Authority chaired by Roberto Rustichelli had in fact launched an investigation against the Comerin Srl companies; Comes Spa; Electra Srl; Imet; Plant Maintenance and Reclamation of Meridionali Srl.; Maren Srl; Officine Jolly Srl; Omega Engineering Marine Srl, Research, Innovation, Technologies (Rit) Srl; Technomont Taranto Srl; TPS Taranto Srl, Siples Srl; Chio.me Consortium; Chiome Srl and Consorzio Navalmeccanico Taranto-CNT to ascertain the existence of violations of art. 101 of the TFEU.
Therefore, two years later, the Antitrust has ascertained the violation of competition by the aforementioned companies. In particular, the latter "have put in place a single and continuous agreement concerning restricted procedures (from 4110/10 to 4112/18, 4114/18 and 4118/18), as well as consequent to the division of ex 4118/18 desert mandate (ie the procedures in economy from 5658/18 to 5667/18 and 5671/18)".
Without forgetting that in September 2021, the Anac and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit of the Guardia di Finanza of Rome had carried out an inspection at the Military Arsenal of Taranto. At the center of the inspection – Ansa reported – the announcement, and the related contracts, for the modernization of the San Marco ship of the Navy. According to what emerged from the investigation still in progress, the consortium of companies that was awarded the works would be configured as a stable structure in support of the Arsenale, and the Anac hypothesized the violation of the principles of competition, level playing field and non-discrimination.
All the details.
THE PROVISION OF THE AGCM
The Agcm has ascertained that the companies have put in place “a secret agreement concerning the coordination of the strategies for participation in public tenders aimed at the division of public assignments through the manipulation of the tender results. As such, the cartel belongs to a category of agreements expressly prohibited by Article 101(1) TFEU591”.
THE RACES EXAMINED
Among the tenders under the light of the Antitrust we find those starting from the year 2018. Among these also those for the assignment of various modernization services of the San Marco ships (4110/18, 4111/18 and 4118/18, this the last call was also investigated by Anac and Gdf), Nave Saturno (4112/18) and Nave Tremiti (4114/18) and the procedures in economics from 5658/18 to 5667/18 and 5671/18.
THE COMPANIES SANCTIONED BY THE ANTITRUST
The Antitrust measure concerns the following companies: Comerin Srl; Comes Spa; Electra Srl; Imet; Plant Maintenance and Reclamation of Meridionali Srl.; Maren Srl; Officine Jolly Srl; Omega Engineering Marine Srl, Research, Innovation, Technologies (Rit) Srl; Technomont Taranto Srl; TPS Taranto Srl, Siples Srl; Chio.me Consortium; Chiome Srl and Taranto-CNT Shipbuilding Consortium.
PECUNIARY SANCTIONS
Therefore the authority approved the following pecuniary sanctions: 22,287.50 euros to Co.merin SRL; 28,438.45 euros to COMES Spa; 18,149.1 euros to the Chio.me-Chiome Srl Consortium; 45,343.9 euros to the Taranto-CNT Naval Mechanical Consortium; 26,698.37 euros to Electra Srl; 49,881.23 to IMET Srl; 40,216.64 euros to Plant Maintenance and Southern Reclamation Srl; 54,375.96 euros to Maren Srl; 47,421.04 euros to Officine Jolly Srl; 33,071.02 euros to Omega Engineering Marine Srl; 4,163.50 euros to Research, Innovation, Technologies (RIT) Srl; 59,869.10 euros to SIPLES Srl; 14,938.03 euros to Technomont Taranto Srl and 44,078.53 euros to TPS Taranto Srl.
RECURRENT TPS TARANTO, MAREN, CHIOME, TECHNOMONT AND COMERIN
Some of these Taranto companies had already ended up in the crosshairs of the Antitrust and the yellow flames.
From the investigations conducted at the Taranto arsenal at the beginning of 2020, some repeat offenders were investigated: in 2015 the Antitrust sanctioned the same subjects for a cartel on Navy procurement.
“In the provision dating back to 2013, in fact, the Antitrust had ascertained that the companies Tecnosit, Tps Taranto, Maren, Chio.me, Technomont, Comerin, Work Service, Metalblok, Sait, Siman and Coibesa managed with collusive agreements to monopolize the tenders called by the Taranto naval establishment. Not only. The Competition and Market Authority had issued fines ranging from a minimum of 14,000 euros to a maximum of over 1 million euros. A decision that was later confirmed by the Lazio Tar which however had significantly reduced the sanctions after the pronouncement of the Council of State " reported the Daily fact in February 2020.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/arsenale-di-taranto-ecco-le-14-aziende-sanzionate-dallantitrust-per-nave-san-marco-nave-saturno-e-nave-tremiti/ on Tue, 22 Aug 2023 14:32:52 +0000.