Maersk has waived its transit disruption surcharge on a recent Red Sea sailing from India to the US East Coast, according to reports from London's S&P Global.

The Singapore-flagged 6,648-TEU Maersk Sebarok departed from Nhava Sheva on December 12 and transited the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on December 18. The surcharge, typically $200 per TEU and $450 per FEU, was introduced in January 2024 after vessels were rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope due to Houthi attacks in Yemen.

Forwarder sources indicated that the surcharge was generally applied to Indian contract customers, while global accounts negotiated special rates. CMA CGM confirmed it did not impose similar charges on its Indamex service.

The waiver suggests that Maersk's major clients were informed in advance of the Sebarok's passage through the Red Sea, likely due to insurance concerns. Industry data reveals that Maersk handled approximately 231,000 TEU out of 1.3 million TEU shipped from India to the US through November, giving it nearly 18 percent of the market.

Despite the waiver, schedule disruptions persist. Sources reported four blank sailings in January across CMA CGM, MSC, and ONE networks. Maersk stated that its MECL vessel for Week 4, the 6,188-TEU Maersk Hartford, will omit Mundra and Pipavav, with cargo transshipped via the 4,400-TEU extra-loader Ren Jian 26 at Salalah.

Rates on the India-US East Coast trade have decreased from $1,440 per FEU earlier this month to $1,300 as of December 29, according to Platts, part of S&P Global.