Saturday, November 7, 2026
The news that moves freight
Ocean Nov 7, 2026 · 7 min read

CMA CGM loads new surcharges onto Asia–Africa

From Sunday, South China to Lagos costs $1,900 more per 40ft, and Africa is where carriers are pushing

From Sunday 8 November, CMA CGM will add $950 per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) to cargo from South China to West Africa’s Central Range. That range covers Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Equatorial Guinea and Togo. On a 40ft container, which counts as two TEU, that is $1,900. The carrier published the notice on 5 November, three days before it applies.

It is the biggest of five peak season surcharges (PSS) CMA CGM filed on Asia–Africa cargo between 4 and 6 November. A PSS is an extra charge on top of the base ocean rate, which carriers say reflects seasonal demand. Together, the five notices cover West Africa, East Africa, Mozambique and Somalia.

Our view is simple. This is a carrier repricing a whole region in one move, with very little notice, aimed at the cargo least protected by contracts. The way the amounts are spread tells you where CMA CGM sees the tightest space. Forwarders quoting Africa for December need to price it in now.

What CMA CGM has filed

All amounts are per TEU and come from CMA CGM’s own notices.

China to West Africa (notice dated 5 November). The notice reads: “From November 8th, 2026, loading date:”. It applies to dry and reefer cargo, and only on short-term contracts. - North and Central China to the Central Range (Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Togo; Ghana excluded): $550. - South China and the SARs (Hong Kong and Macau, China’s special administrative regions) to the same range: $950. - China and the SARs to the North Range (Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe; Senegal excluded): $200. - China and the SARs to Dakar and Tema: $350. - China and the SARs to the South Range (Angola, Congo, DRC, Namibia, Gabon, Cameroon): $900.

South East Asia to West Africa (5 November). $500 for cargo loaded from 15 November. The notice says it is “Applicable on short-term contracts.”

South China to Mozambique (5 November). $400 from the 10 November loading date.

China to Dar es Salaam and Mombasa (4 November). $400. It starts on 10 November from South China and on 15 November from North and Central China.

China to Mogadishu (6 November). $250 from 15 November.

None of the five gives an end date. The Mozambique, East Africa and Somalia notices say they run “until further notice”.

For cargo from China, CMA CGM adds that the charge “will be subject to our filing with Shanghai Shipping Exchange” or may be built into the ocean freight. The Shanghai Shipping Exchange is the body where carriers file China export rates. In practice, it means the PSS may not show up as a separate line on every quote. It may already be inside the all-in rate you are given.

What the spread of numbers tells us

The gap between South China and North and Central China is the most telling detail. Both go to the same West African ports, but the South China surcharge is $400 per TEU higher, at $950 against $550. In our reading, CMA CGM is pricing for the origin where it has the least spare space, not for distance.

The second detail is how Ghana and Senegal are treated. Tema in Ghana and Dakar in Senegal are taken out of their ranges and get a flat $350. That is well below the $550 to $950 charged to Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and the other Central Range countries. In our reading, CMA CGM sees less pressure on those two ports, or more competition there. The notices give no reason.

The third detail is the South Range. Angola, Congo, DRC, Namibia, Gabon and Cameroon get $900, almost as much as the top Central Range level. Our guess is that CMA CGM expects less competition on these markets, so a high surcharge there is less likely to lose cargo to rivals.

East Africa and the Horn get much lower amounts: $400 to Dar es Salaam, Mombasa and Mozambique, and $250 to Mogadishu. So West Africa carries the heaviest load in this round.

This is higher than last winter, and CMA CGM is not alone

Last winter, CMA CGM ran a similar Far East to West Africa PSS. Container News reported a charge of $150 per TEU to the North Range from 25 December 2025. From 1 January 2026, it reported $300 to the Central and South ranges and $450 to the North Range. This year’s top level of $950 is more than double last winter’s top level of $450. It also arrives about seven weeks earlier in the season.

Other carriers have been pushing Africa too. In August, Maersk set a Far East Asia to West Africa PSS of $700 per 20ft and $1,000 per 40ft. It covers South East Asian origins such as Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, and runs “effective from 24-Aug-26 until further notice”, according to Maersk’s notice.

The pressure is also clear on the east and south coasts. A 28 October round-up by Tradlinx, citing Maersk’s notices, says Maersk’s Far East Asia to South Africa and Mauritius dry PSS “rises to US$1,000per20ftandUS$2,000 per 40ft from 9 November”. That is four times the earlier $250 and $500. The same round-up reports Maersk’s China and Hong Kong to Kenya PSS going to $1,000 per 20ft and $2,000per40ftfrom9November,“upfromUS$950 and US$1,900 set on 19 October”. It also lists a CMA CGM Far East to Durban PSS of $750 per TEU from 22 October. And it reports a Hapag-Lloyd PSS of $500 per TEU to Durban and Cape Town for cargo loaded from 3 November.

Put side by side, these notices show at least three of the largest carriers raising Asia–Africa charges between August and November. In our view, Africa is now one of the few trade lanes where carriers still feel able to push prices up during the run to year-end.

One caution on comparisons. CMA CGM’s new $400 per TEU to Mombasa works out at $800 per 40ft. That is well below the $2,000 per 40ft Maersk has published for China to Kenya. Base rates and the way charges are bundled differ between carriers, so a lower surcharge does not always mean a cheaper all-in price. Compare total quotes, not single lines.

What it means for forwarders and shippers

Open quotes are now short. Any short-term quote to the West Africa Central Range on CMA CGM, given before 5 November and not yet loaded, is up to $1,900 per 40ft short from South China. From North and Central China, it is up to $1,100 per 40ft short. The 8 November start leaves almost no time to go back to customers. Check your quote terms. If they allow carrier surcharges to pass through, tell customers today, with the notice attached.

Contract cargo needs checking, not assuming. The West Africa and South East Asia notices say the charge applies to short-term contracts. The Mozambique, East Africa and Somalia notices, as summarised on CMA CGM’s site, do not say this. Before you bill a PSS to a customer on a long-term contract, get written confirmation from your CMA CGM desk on whether it applies.

Routing choices change. Tema and Dakar now carry a $350 surcharge, against $950 to the Central Range from South China. Some shippers serving landlocked markets such as Burkina Faso, Mali or Niger may ask whether Tema or Dakar plus a truck leg now works out cheaper than Lomé, Cotonou or Abidjan. The answer depends on inland haulage costs and border times, which these notices do not cover. It is still worth running the numbers for regular customers.

Origin matters more than usual. A shipper who can move cargo out of Ningbo or Shanghai rather than Shenzhen or Hong Kong saves $400 per TEU on this surcharge alone, before any difference in base rates.

Watch the all-in rate. Because China export charges may be filed with the Shanghai Shipping Exchange or folded into ocean freight, some quotes will show the PSS on its own line and others will not. Ask carriers and NVOCCs (non-vessel operating common carriers, which sell space without owning ships) to confirm whether a quote includes it.

Plan December now. For year-end cargo to Africa, budget at today’s levels plus a margin. Nothing in these notices points to a quick reversal.

Our call

Our prediction: none of the five CMA CGM Asia–Africa surcharges announced on 4–6 November will be withdrawn or cut before 31 December 2026. By 15 January 2027, we expect CMA CGM to file at least one West Africa PSS above the current $950 per TEU top level, or to extend the higher charge to more origins. If carriers start blanking sailings to West Africa (cancelling planned voyages) or cutting base rates before then, that would be the first sign this call is wrong.

Sources

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