Thursday, October 29, 2026
The news that moves freight
Ocean Oct 29, 2026 · 8 min read

CMA CGM’s November Asia–Africa surcharges and Maersk’s Gulf–West Africa cut

Asia–Africa gets dearer on 1 November, Gulf–West Africa a little cheaper. CMA CGM will add a peak season surcharge (PSS) of $900 per TEU (20ft-equivalent unit) from China to Angola, the Congos, Namibia, Gabon and Cameroon from 1 November, and $700 to Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. Our view: carriers are raising Africa prices in monthly steps. In October, CMA CGM added $750 to Durban. Maersk is cutting its Gulf–West Africa emergency surcharge by $500, reversing an August rise. We expect at least one of MSC, Maersk or Hapag-Lloyd to post a China–West Africa PSS of $500 per TEU or more by 1 December.

Africa freight: dearer from China, slightly cheaper from the Gulf

From Sunday 1 November, CMA CGM adds a peak season surcharge of $900 per TEU to cargo from China to the southern part of West Africa. A peak season surcharge (PSS) is an extra charge a carrier puts on top of the base freight rate when it thinks demand will hold up. A TEU is a twenty-foot equivalent unit, the standard measure of one 20ft container.

The $900 covers Angola, Congo, DR Congo, Namibia, Gabon and Cameroon. It applies to dry and reefer cargo on short-term contracts, and it is charged by loading date. That is the headline number in a list that touches almost every African coast and the Indian Ocean islands.

On 28 October, Maersk said it will cut one of its emergency surcharges, from Gulf ports to West Africa, by $500 per container.

So Africa is getting dearer from Asia and slightly cheaper from the Gulf. The Asia move is the one that matters more for most forwarders’ books.

What we think is going on

Our view is that carriers are raising prices into Africa in monthly steps, and that this is the second step, not the last. CMA CGM put out an October list. Now it has put out a November list with bigger numbers and wider coverage. That pattern usually runs until the carrier meets real resistance from shippers, or until the pre-Chinese New Year rush is over.

We also think the Maersk cut is less of a relief than it looks. From Sohar, Fujairah and Khor Fakkan, it takes the surcharge back to where it was before mid-August. It does not take it anywhere near zero. A 40ft dry box from these Gulf ports to West Africa still carries $4,650 in emergency surcharge alone.

These are our opinions. The figures behind them follow.

The November list, lane by lane

Container News reported CMA CGM’s full list on 28 October. In its words, “The revised surcharges will take effect on 1 November 2026”. Per TEU, the charges are:

  • $900: China and its Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macau) to southern West Africa: Angola, Congo, DR Congo, Namibia, Gabon and Cameroon. Dry and reefer, short-term contracts.
  • $700: China and its SARs to central West Africa: Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Equatorial Guinea and Togo.
  • $400: China to Senegal.
  • $300: Southeast Asia to West Africa, dry cargo, short-term contracts.
  • $300: China to Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius and South Africa, short-term contracts.
  • $300: China to Mombasa (Kenya), Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar (Tanzania), and Port Victoria (Seychelles).
  • $250: China, Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia to Malé (Maldives).

Two carve-outs matter. Container News quotes the notice: “Ghana is excluded from this adjustment, with its existing surcharge remaining unchanged.” It also reports that “charges for other destinations in the northern West African range remain unchanged”.

There is a second new charge. CMA CGM adds an overweight surcharge of $300 per container on 20ft dry boxes from China to East Africa with a gross weight over 18 tonnes. It runs from 1 November until further notice and sits apart from the PSS.

For China-origin cargo, Container News reports that “the relevant PSS adjustments will be subject to filing with the Shanghai Shipping Exchange”. Charges on Chinese exports have to be filed there. The report adds that the PSS could be folded into the ocean freight rate instead of being shown as a separate line.

The surcharges are also separate from bunker (fuel), terminal handling, security and other local or contingency charges. In other words, this is not an all-in price.

This is round two

CMA CGM has done this before, and recently. On 12 October, Container News reported an earlier set of CMA CGM peak season surcharges on Asia–Africa trades:

  • $750 per TEU from the Far East to Durban, from 22 October, all cargo, until further notice.
  • $200 per TEU from China to Mozambique, from 22 October, all cargo, until further notice.
  • $200 per TEU from Southeast Asia to northern West Africa (Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe), from 15 October, short-term contracts.

Put the two lists side by side. In October the biggest single number was $750, and only to one South African port. In November it is $900, and it covers six countries. Central West Africa, Nigeria included, now carries $700 when it was not on the October list at all.

Some lanes appear in both lists with different numbers and terms. China to Mozambique was $200 for all cargo from 22 October. It is $300 on short-term contracts from 1 November. Durban had $750 from the Far East. South Africa now has $300 from China on short-term contracts. Neither report says whether the November charge replaces or adds to the October one. That gap is exactly where invoice disputes start.

For scale, MSC published Far East to Sub-Saharan Africa all-in FAK rates valid from 15 to 31 October. FAK means “freight all kinds”, a single rate whatever the cargo. MSC listed $6,150 per 40ft to West Africa/Nigeria and $5,150 per 40ft to West Africa base ports. MSC’s advisory says, “Above FAK rates are subject to all surcharges & locals both ends (VATOS).” That is a different carrier’s tariff, so treat it as a yardstick only. A 40ft box normally counts as two TEU. If CMA CGM bills the central West Africa PSS that way, it would add about $1,400 to a 40ft to Lagos. Against a $6,150 all-in rate, that is a rise of more than a fifth.

The Gulf side: a cut that only undoes August

Maersk’s notice of 28 October covers its Emergency Contingency Surcharge (ECS) from Jebel Ali, Sohar, Fujairah and Khor Fakkan to West Africa. Maersk’s code for this trade is W2MW. The notice says: “A reduction of the surcharge will take effect from the Price Calculation Date (PCD) 1st November 2026.” The price calculation date is the date Maersk uses to decide which tariff applies to a shipment.

The new levels, per container: - 20ft dry: $3,950 down to $3,450. - 40ft dry: $5,150 down to $4,650. - 40ft and 45ft high cube: the same $500 cut.

On reefers, the notice says: “No change to reefer rates.”

Now look back to August. On 3 August, Maersk raised the ECS from Sohar, Fujairah and Khor Fakkan to West Africa from 15 August. The 20ft dry went from $3,450 to $3,950. The 40ft dry and high cube went from $4,650 to $5,150. Maersk said then: “These adjustments are being implemented to address the increased operational challenges and costs”. The August notice also raised the 20ft reefer from $3,550 to $4,050 and the 40ft high reefer from $5,450 to $5,950.

So the November cut takes dry boxes from those three ports back exactly to their pre-August level. Reefers were left out of the cut. That means reefer shippers, typically food and pharma, keep the August increase.

The background is the Gulf crisis. In March, gCaptain reported that the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) was reviewing new carrier charges tied to Gulf disruption. It reported that attacks on merchant ships and reduced war-risk insurance had sharply cut traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Some carriers’ regional emergency charges on Persian Gulf cargo reached $1,800 per 20ft and $3,000 per 40ft at that point. The FMC also reminded shippers that many service contracts pull in carrier tariffs, so new charges can apply depending on contract terms.

What forwarders should do now

Re-quote short-term Asia–Africa business for November loadings. The $900 and $700 charges apply by loading date. A box quoted in October and loaded on 2 November picks up the new charge unless your quote said otherwise. Most of the West Africa charges are tied to short-term contracts. Shippers on longer contracts should read their surcharge clauses before assuming they are exempt.

Ask CMA CGM in writing whether October and November charges stack. Do this for Mozambique and South Africa in particular. Get the answer before the first invoice, not after.

Check weights on China–East Africa 20ft boxes. Heavy cargo such as tiles, steel, cement and machinery parts often goes over 18 tonnes gross. Each of those boxes now carries an extra $300, from 1 November until further notice.

Watch the Shanghai filing. For China-origin cargo the PSS may be folded into the base rate rather than shown as a line. When comparing carriers, compare all-in numbers. A lower base rate with a separate PSS can come out dearer than a higher rate that already includes it.

Gulf-origin West Africa shippers: claim the $500 on dry, and do not expect it on reefers. Maersk says affected customers will see the change on their latest invoices. Check that the right PCD is used. A booking priced on 31 October still carries the old ECS.

Ghana stays as it is for now. Its existing CMA CGM surcharge is unchanged. On a coast where neighbours Togo and Côte d’Ivoire now carry $700, Tema could look relatively cheaper for some inland cargo. Check that against inland trucking costs before rerouting.

Our call

We think Asia–Africa pricing has another leg to run before Chinese New Year. Our prediction: by 1 December 2026, at least one more of MSC, Maersk or Hapag-Lloyd will announce a peak season surcharge of $500 per TEU or more from China to West Africa.

On the Gulf side, we expect Maersk to keep easing. Our second call: by 15 January 2027, Maersk’s W2MW emergency surcharge on a 40ft dry box from Sohar, Fujairah and Khor Fakkan will be at or below $4,150, meaning at least one more $500 cut. If neither happens, the Gulf disruption is lasting longer than carriers’ current pricing suggests, and forwarders should budget for it into the new year.

Sources