The French Competition Authority (Autorité de la concurrence) has imposed a fine of €2.16 million ($2.42 million) on several companies within the Mayotte-based Nel group, including public service concessionaire Mayotte Channel Gateway (MCG), for abusing their dominant position in the port handling market at the Port of Longoni.

The decision stems from an investigation initiated after a report by the Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF). The antitrust authority concluded that the Nel group implemented two distinct abusive practices to control port operations and inflate costs for local businesses.

According to the Authority, the Nel group leveraged MCG’s exclusive role as the public service concession holder for the Port of Longoni to expand into market sectors beyond its original remit. Rather than competing on the merits, MCG restricted access to critical infrastructure, such as container storage areas and dock cranes, effectively forcing out the port’s historical stevedoring operator, Société Mahoraise d’Acconage de Représentation et de Transit (SMART). These actions favored Nel’s own stevedoring subsidiary, Manu-Port, which secured key commercial clients—including shipping line CMA-CGM—and contributed to SMART being placed under court-ordered administration.

The Authority also found that MCG committed an exploitative abuse of dominance against local importers. Dependent on the port’s infrastructure, importers were subjected to unfair trading conditions, including charges for container delivery and empty container cleaning services that were either inflated or never actually performed.

In calculating the penalty, the regulator treated MCG’s status as a public service delegate as an aggravating factor, noting that entities entrusted with public interest missions carry a heightened responsibility not to distort market competition. In addition to financial penalties, the regulator ordered MCG to publish a summary of the decision in both the digital and print editions of the local publication Mayotte Hebdo.