CMA CGM will apply a US$1,000 per TEU Peak Season Surcharge on shipments from the east coast of South America to destinations across the Americas starting 15 October, with implementation delayed to 28 October for the United States, its territories and selected Latin American markets that require longer regulatory notice.

The French line stacked fresh surcharges across east-west and north-south trades during October, with PSS levels ranging from US$200 to US$1,000 per TEU across more than 25 country pairs. The Africa file alone carries four rate bands.

Which lanes carry the heaviest surcharge?

The US$1,000/TEU surcharge applies to all cargo under long-term contracts moving from East Coast South America to the west coast of South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Guyana, Suriname, the United States and Canada. For the United States, its territories and Latin American countries that require longer notice windows, implementation shifts to 28 October.

The Durban lane carries the second-heaviest PSS at US$550/TEU, effective 8 October on all cargo from the Far East and remaining in place until further notice.

What does the Africa programme look like?

CMA CGM will levy a US$400/TEU PSS on Far East cargo bound for Port Louis, Mauritius from 15 October, applicable to all loaded cargo until further notice. For China-origin shipments on the lane, the carrier said the surcharge would be subject to filing with the Shanghai Shipping Exchange or absorbed into the ocean freight tariff.

West Africa splits into three rate bands, all effective 15 October and applying to dry and reefer cargo under short-term contracts:

• US$200/TEU from Central and South China to Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Togo and Guinea, including the China SARs
• US$400/TEU from China to Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe
• US$400/TEU from China to Angola, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Gabon and Cameroon

What does it mean for shippers and forwarders?

Contract shippers on the East Coast South America-to-US corridor now face an additional US$1,000/TEU on top of contracted ocean freight for the duration of the surcharge, with the 28 October start date straddling the trans-Atlantic peak pulling US retail inventory westbound ahead of the holiday season. Forwarders holding nominative capacity on West Africa trades will see PSS layered onto short-term rates that already reflect Q4 capacity tightness on the Asia-Lagos and Asia-Abidjan strings. Mauritius and Durban volumes carry additional burdens of US$550 and US$400 per box respectively.

The new scales position CMA CGM ahead of the traditional Q4 contract renewal window for Africa and Indian Ocean trades, where independent carriers and alliance partners will watch closely.

Will rivals follow?

Rival operators on the Asia-Africa, trans-Atlantic and Caribbean services — including MSC, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd — typically match CMA CGM PSS announcements within one to two weeks, particularly where utilisation runs above 90%. The October effective dates slot firmly into the peak retail shipping window between the Singles' Day pull from China and the Black Friday-to-Christmas surge.

What to watch next

The surcharges remain in force until further notice, leaving capacity planners facing the possibility of rollovers into Q1 2026 if Asia-Africa and South America demand holds at current levels.