The European Commission (EC) said on Friday it had sent to the Spanish competition regulator for review the planned deal by Royal Dutch Shell plc (LON:RDSA) to sell a stake in its Spanish aviation fuels unit Shell Aviation Espana SL (SAE) to domestic Disa Corporacion Petrolífera SA.
Spain’s Comision Nacional de la Competencia (CNC) requested on 22 May 2012 that the EC allowed it to assess the deal which it sees to create competition problems in the country.
Following a preliminary review by the EC, the European Union regulator said that CNC is best placed to investigate the transaction as it would only affect sectors of the Spanish market.
The CNC expressed concerns that a combination of Disa and SAE could impact sectors connected to into-plane services provision, including logistic services and petroleum products storage, in the Canary Islands.
The proposed deal could result in existing and future competitors losing access to Disa’s storage facilities and logistic services and could also lead to coordinated effects in the fuel sectors in the Canary Islands, the CNC said.
Under the planned transaction, Shell is selling a controlling stake in its Spanish aviation fuel subsidiary SAE to Disa.
Currently Shell owns 100% of SAE, which offers into-plane services at Spanish airports Las Palmas, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife North and Tenerife South.
Disa is an oil company with operations including sale, storage and transport logistic services of petroleum products in the Canary Islands.
