Maersk adjusts surcharges up to USD 2,000 per container for Far East-Mediterranean and Middle East routes, effective November.
On 4 November, Maersk issued announcements detailing adjustments to multiple surcharges affecting the Far East-Mediterranean and Far East-Middle East trade lanes.
The revised charges are scheduled to take effect in stages from mid-to-late November. The adjustments encompass two categories: peak season surcharges and overweight surcharges. When combined with base freight rates, these changes will directly affect the total cost of transportation on the impacted routes. Freight forwarders and cargo owners are advised to calculate applicable costs in advance, taking into account booking type, the pricing calculation date, and cargo weight.
Effective 23 November, Maersk will apply a peak season surcharge on cargo moving from Far East Asia to the Mediterranean. The applicable rates are USD 750 per 20-foot container and USD 1,500 per 40/45-foot container. Origins covered include China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Cambodia, Mongolia, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Destination coverage extends to Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Algeria, Egypt, Spain, France, Georgia, Greece, Croatia, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Montenegro, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Ukraine, as well as other European destinations served via Mediterranean final discharge ports.
On the same date, Maersk will also levy an overweight surcharge of USD 400 per box on 20-foot containers verified to have a gross weight exceeding 25 metric tonnes on the same trade lane. This surcharge is triggered when the verified gross weight—encompassing cargo, dunnage, and container tare weight—exceeds 25 metric tonnes and applies across contract, SPOT, Maersk Go, and other ocean freight products. As the overweight surcharge operates in parallel with the peak season surcharge, shippers moving heavy cargo must account for both cost increments simultaneously.
For the Middle East trade lane, Maersk has announced a peak season surcharge adjustment effective 16 November, with Vietnam effective 19 November and South Korea effective 22 November, until further notice. The adjustment applies to cargo originating from China (including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan), Japan, Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor-Leste, destined for the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The applicable rates are USD 1,000 per 20-foot container and USD 2,000 per 40/45-foot container.
The billing rules governing the Middle East peak season surcharge differ according to booking type. For non-SPOT bookings, the applicable rate is determined by the pricing calculation date: for non-FMC regulated business, this is the estimated departure date of the first ocean leg at the time of booking confirmation; for FMC regulated business, it is the last container gate-in date. Given that effective dates vary by origin, freight forwarders must verify the applicable date on a shipment-by-shipment basis when quoting and confirming bookings to avoid cost estimation errors arising from misidentification of the relevant cutoff point.
Freight forwarders and cargo owners on the affected trade lanes are advised to monitor Maersk's latest rate announcements closely, verify sailing schedules and surcharge information, and plan shipments accordingly. For Mediterranean-bound heavy cargo, shippers should confirm whether the verified gross mass exceeds 25 metric tonnes and incorporate the overweight surcharge into quotations. For Middle East cargo, it is essential to distinguish between SPOT and non-SPOT bookings and to confirm the applicable pricing calculation date and corresponding effective date. For contract customers, Maersk Go users, and those shipping under other ocean freight products, the scope of applicable charges should be verified against the specific terms of the relevant product.
