Maersk has issued a customer advisory announcing new rate standards, effective 15 October 2026, applicable to door-to-door import cargo destined for two inland points in India - Khera Kalan and Alipur.
Maersk has issued a customer advisory announcing new rate standards, effective 15 October 2026, applicable to door-to-door import cargo destined for two inland points in India - Khera Kalan and Alipur. The revised rates apply to 40-foot high-cube dry containers entering via the ports of Mundra and Pipavav.
According to the rate schedule disclosed in Maersk's official announcement, a uniform rate of 87,000 applies to all 40-foot high-cube containers destined for Khera Kalan and Alipur via Mundra or Pipavav, across all weight brackets - 0-16.1 tonnes, 16.1-26.1 tonnes, and above 26.1 tonnes. Maersk states in its notice that the adjustment reflects current market conditions and prevailing pricing levels. The applicable currency is not explicitly specified in the announcement; industry media has speculated the figure is denominated in Indian Rupees.
This import rate revision does not stand in isolation. Since the beginning of 2026, Maersk has introduced multiple adjustments to its India-related rate structures. Effective 11 August 2026, the carrier revised its dry port surcharge for World-to-India Hyderabad services, reducing the rate for 40-foot dry containers and 40-foot high-cube containers from INR 22,535 to INR 19,500. Effective 1 August 2026, Maersk raised emergency surcharges on its E3W and E4W services covering the Indian Subcontinent-to-Europe trade lane, with the surcharge on 40-foot dry containers from Northwest India to North Europe increasing from USD 2,500 to USD 3,500. Effective 15 September 2026, Maersk revised peak season surcharges on the Far East and China-to-Indian Subcontinent trade, setting the rate for the Northwest India direction at USD 50. Additionally, in July 2026, Maersk announced an overweight surcharge on 20-foot dry containers moving from Northwest India to Europe and the Mediterranean, levying EUR 500 per container on units exceeding 22 tonnes.
For shippers involved in inland door-to-door distribution to India, the primary operational impact of this rate revision centres on cost confirmation and budget reconciliation. The uniform rate of 87,000 simplifies the quotation process; however, shippers are advised to clarify the specific currency denomination and whether the rate encompasses all inland transport surcharge components. Before 15 October, shippers are advised to complete the following verifications: first, confirm the applicability of import rate clauses within existing booking contracts; second, verify whether landed costs for cargo entering via Mundra and Pipavav destined for Khera Kalan and Alipur have changed under the new rate; and third, confirm with Maersk's local agents the precise currency unit of the 87,000 figure and whether taxes are included. Given the frequency of surcharge adjustments Maersk has introduced across its India trade lanes over the past six months, shippers are further advised to monitor whether coordinated bunker surcharge revisions will follow, so as to avoid budget variance arising from assessment of any single variable in isolation.
