Nippon Express, Ceva and Panalpina are among 47 companies and affiliates across Europe, the US and Asia that received an European Union complaint about alleged price-fixing in freight forwarding.

The allegations concern freight-forwarding services from the US to outside the EU, from the EU to the US, from China to the EU and from Southern China/Hong Kong to the EU, the commission said in a statement in 2007. The probe began in October 2007 when the commission raided the offices of Kuehne & Nagel International AG and Panalpina World Transport Holding Ltd., two Swiss freight forwarders.

According to EU regulations, operators of a cartel risk being fined as much as 10 per cent of their global revenue. Bonn-based Deutsche Post AG said it and its relevant subsidiaries have been granted immunity from fines by the commission “conditional upon DHL Global Forwarding’s continued cooperation.”

Other companies that have received the EU complaint include United Parcel Service Inc., Kuehne & Nagel, DB Schenker, Expeditors International of Washington Inc., the French unit of DSV A/S and UTi Worldwide.