Hapag-Lloyd lifts North Europe–South Asia tariffs from 1 December

Hapag-Lloyd will raise base ocean tariffs from North Europe to Ennore, Chittagong and Colombo by US$200 per 20-foot dry container from 1 December 2026, with the increase applying to sailings from that date until further notice.

The revision hits three distinct South Asian markets in one move: south-east India via Ennore, Bangladesh via Chittagong, and Sri Lanka via Colombo. Only dry boxes are covered. Reefer cargo, open-top and flat-rack equipment sit outside the announcement, at least for now.

What are the new rates?

The 20-foot increases are flat across all three ports, but they land on very different starting points. That matters. A $200 rise is a 31% jump on Colombo freight but a far smaller proportional hit on Chittagong, where the base already sat above US$1,300.

20-foot dry containers:

• Ennore, India: US$714 → US$914 (+US$200)
• Chittagong, Bangladesh: US$1,340 → US$1,540 (+US$200)
• Colombo, Sri Lanka: US$640 → US$840 (+US$200)

The 40-foot increases are smaller — US$100 flat — and they apply to the same three gateways.

40-foot dry containers:

• Ennore, India: US$793 → US$893 (+US$100)
• Chittagong, Bangladesh: US$355 → US$455 (+US$100)
• Colombo, Sri Lanka: US$255 → US$355 (+US$100)

What does this change for shippers and forwarders?

Two practical consequences follow from the structure of the increase.

First, the pricing gap between box sizes narrows or inverts. On the Chittagong and Colombo trades, a 40-foot container now moves at a base rate well below the 20-foot rate — US$455 versus US$1,540 to Bangladesh, and US$355 versus US$840 to Sri Lanka. Shippers who can consolidate cargo into 40-foot units take proportionally less pain than those locked into 20-foot equipment flows, which is common on regional feeder legs into Colombo and Chittagong.

Second, the percentages differ sharply by destination. The Colombo 20-foot rate rises by roughly 31%, Ennore by about 28%, while Chittagong's 20-foot base climbs just under 15%. Buyers running comparable volumes into all three markets will feel Sri Lanka and India hardest on their per-box cost lines from December.

Forwarders pricing North Europe–South Asia contracts should also note what sits on top of these numbers. Hapag-Lloyd states the figures are base ocean tariffs only. Bunker-related and security surcharges, terminal handling charges, local fees and contingency charges may also apply. All-in costs will therefore land above the headline rates, and the gap between quoted base and final invoice widens whenever fuel-linked surcharges move.

Why carriers lean on tariffs now

A uniform dollar increase across three ports reads like a deliberate floor-setting exercise rather than a lane-specific response. Carriers typically push through general tariff hikes of this kind when contract negotiations loom or when spot pressure on a trade region softens, using published tariffs as the anchor for subsequent deals. Hapag-Lloyd has given no expiry: the new rates stay valid "until further notice," which hands the carrier flexibility to hold, extend or roll them back depending on how demand on the North Europe–South Asia corridor develops through the December peak-season tail.

The absence of an end date is the detail worth watching. If competing carriers on the same trades — CMA CGM, Maersk and MSC all serve North Europe–South Asia corridors — follow with matching increases in the coming weeks, shippers can expect the higher tariff floor to firm up ahead of 2027 contract talks.