Maersk will levy a cooling service charge of ZAR 1,800 per container on reefer cargo moving between Namibia and worldwide markets through three South African ports, with the first tariffs biting on 23 September 2026.

The carrier is introducing both an Origin Cooling Service (OGS) charge and a Destination Cooling Service (DGS) charge, each set at ZAR 1,800 regardless of the gateway used. The fees apply to ALL_REEF (NOR-N) containers transported by truck via Cape Town, Durban or Port Elizabeth — the three South African ports that funnel Namibian cargo into Maersk's global network.

The rollout comes in two waves. Non-regulated countries face the new charges from 23 September 2026. Shippers in regulated countries get a longer runway: their tariffs take effect on 22 October 2026.

The structure is symmetrical. On the outbound leg, any ALL_REEF box moving from Namibia to worldwide destinations pays ZAR 1,800 at each of the three gateways — Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. On the inbound leg, cargo from worldwide origins into Namibia attracts the same ZAR 1,800 destination charge at each port. The flat rate across all three gateways means routing decisions within South Africa offer no arbitrage on this fee.

Maersk framed the move narrowly. The new charges support the continued provision of its global services, the carrier said — boilerplate that leaves shippers to work out the cost implications themselves.

For reefer shippers in Namibia, the arithmetic is straightforward. Every temperature-controlled box trucked through a South African port now carries an additional ZAR 1,800 in cooling service fees, applied at origin on exports and at destination on imports. A shipper running both legs through the network faces the charge on each direction of the trade. The fee lands on top of existing freight rates, trucking costs from Namibia to the South African coast, and any port handling charges.

The flat-fee design also means the charge is regressive relative to cargo value. A high-value reefer load of premium fruit or seafood absorbs the same ZAR 1,800 as a lower-value commodity, which will pinch thin-margin exporters hardest.

The scope matters as much as the rate. By attaching the charge to trucked ALL_REEF (NOR-N) containers, Maersk is monetising the landside leg of the Namibia trade that feeds its ocean network at Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. Shippers who have routed Namibian reefer cargo through South African ports to access Maersk sailings now pay for the privilege of that routing on every box, in both directions.

Forwarders booking Namibian reefer business on Maersk services will need to pass the charge through to clients or absorb it, and the 23 September and 22 October effective dates give them weeks, not months, to requote. Contracts signed before the announcement on lanes touching Namibia may need renegotiation if the charge is not covered by existing all-in rate agreements.

The two-tier effective dates also create a compliance question. Shippers and forwarders must establish whether their contracts fall under the non-regulated or regulated country category to know which deadline applies — 23 September or 22 October — and misjudging that classification risks a surprise ZAR 1,800 per box on cargo already in the pipeline.

No rollback or cap is indicated in the carrier's notice, and Maersk has signalled the charges are permanent additions to its Namibia tariff structure rather than a temporary peak-season adjustment. Shippers should expect the ZAR 1,800 fee to feature in Maersk quotations for ALL_REEF cargo via all three South African gateways from the autumn 2026 effective dates onward.