Brussels, 28/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has cleared the proposed acquisition by Aker Yards, held by Norwegian Aker ASA, of the French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique (CAT), which belongs to the Alstom SA group. CAT, which is located at Saint Nazaire, builds military and trading vessels of high added value (cruise ships and ferries in particular), a sector where Aker Yards is also present worldwide. With this deal, Aker Yards, which owns shipyards in Norway, Finland, Germany, Romania and Brazil, will become the second largest producer of cruise ships world-wide (large cruise ships over 30,000 gross tonnes). Although it could bring about further concentration in a market with few suppliers, the deal would not lead to competition concerns, the Commission analyses. It notes that the other companies present on the market and the clients (cruise organisers) will remain powerful rivals, including in the sector of ferry construction, where overlapping of minor activities has been observed.