CMA CGM raises its peak season surcharge from China to the West Africa South Range from USD 75 to USD 550 per TEU for cargo loaded from 22 October (Container Management). The notice opens “From October 22nd, 2026, loading date” (AJOT reprint), so the peak season surcharge effective date at CMA CGM is the day the box is loaded. It covers dry and reefer cargo under short-term contracts.
A box gated in on 31 October at Maersk
Maersk’s USD 250 per container surcharge for West Mediterranean to the United States and Canada was postponed from 7 October to 1 November, and the notice gives no reason. Which clock sets the peak season surcharge effective date for a container depends on its booking.
Non-spot bookings are rated on a Price Calculation Date: the last container gate-in for FMC-regulated cargo, the scheduled departure of the first water leg at booking confirmation for other cargo. Spot bookings use the first vessel’s ETD at confirmation.
A non-spot FMC container whose last gate-in is on 31 October is rated before the charge starts. The same box gated in on 1 November is rated with it.
Hapag-Lloyd’s 25 October has no event attached
Container News reported Hapag-Lloyd’s USD 800 per TEU for Southwest Africa as applying to cargo “loaded on board from 25 October”. The carrier’s own page reads “for cargo on or after October 25, 2026”, covers all container types and refers further questions to the nearest Hapag-Lloyd office. Loading is the trade paper’s wording.
The booking date is often not the deciding field, Tradlinx found in its review of the August notices: Hapag-Lloyd used pickup, gate-in or departure milestones for an Italian inland fuel charge depending on direction, and CMA CGM used the loading date. A forwarder quoting cargo that moves around 25 October needs the event from the carrier in writing, and the sailing it actually books decides which side of the date the box lands on.
Per container against per TEU
Maersk charges per container, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM per TEU. A 40-foot box pays USD 250 at Maersk, USD 1,600 at Hapag-Lloyd’s rate and USD 1,100 at CMA CGM’s South Range rate on three different routes. CMA CGM also changes the unit between its own notices: Tradlinx lists a North Europe to Red Sea charge of USD 500 per container and an Asia to South Africa and Mauritius charge of USD 100 per TEU, USD 200 for a standard 40-foot box. Comparing the all-in figure on Navo freight rates only works once the surcharge is converted to the same unit.