Maersk has cut its import dry port surcharge for New Delhi by nearly half, dropping the charge on a 20-foot dry container from INR 21,000 to INR 12,150. The new tariff took effect on 16 October 2026, for cargo from both regulated and non-regulated countries, and it applies to shipments from every port of loading worldwide.

The reduction is not marginal. A 42% cut on the 20-foot box. On 40-foot dry and 40-foot high-cube dry containers the surcharge falls from INR 36,400 to INR 18,800 — a 48% reduction. For importers routing cargo into the National Capital Region through Maersk's inland container depot network, that is a direct, per-box saving on landed cost.

Destination	Code	Container type	Previous rate	New rate
New Delhi (INNWD)	DPS	20' dry	INR 21,000	INR 12,150
New Delhi (INNWD)	DPS	40' dry	INR 36,400	INR 18,800
New Delhi (INNWD)	DPS	40' high-cube dry	INR 36,400	INR 18,800

What does this change for shippers?

The mechanics are simple. The Dry Port Surcharge – Import (DPI), as Maersk calls it in its announcement, sits on top of ocean freight for containers moved to New Delhi's dry port facilities. Cut the surcharge, and the door-level cost of an import box into northern India falls with it.

For BCOs and forwarders pricing India-bound cargo, the move narrows the gap between routing via Nhava Sheva or Mundra with inland haulage priced separately, and taking the carrier's own dry port delivery product. On a 40-foot shipment, the difference is now INR 17,600 less than it was before 16 October. Multiply that across a monthly volume of boxes and the arithmetic starts to matter for contract negotiations covering the fourth quarter.

There is a paperwork wrinkle worth flagging. Maersk's announcement labels the charge Dry Port Surcharge – Import (DPI), but the accompanying tariff table lists the charge code as DPS. Anyone reconciling invoices or checking rate confirmations against the carrier's tariff should search under both designations, or the discrepancy will send them in circles.

Why surcharge cuts matter more than they look

Surcharges rarely make headlines the way ocean freight rates do, but they are the part of the bill carriers adjust fastest and shippers audit hardest. A cut of this size, applied to all origins simultaneously, signals a deliberate pricing decision rather than a routine indexation tweak. Maersk has applied it across the board — every port of loading, regulated and non-regulated origin countries alike — which keeps the tariff structure uniform and simple to apply.

For competitors on the India trade, the move sets a reference point. Other carriers serving New Delhi's inland depots will face shipper questions about their own dry port charges, and procurement teams now have a concrete number to benchmark against when they sit down for rate talks.

The revised rates are already in force. Shippers with cargo arriving at New Delhi after 16 October 2026 should check whether their invoices reflect the new levels — INR 12,150 for a 20-footer, INR 18,800 for 40-foot dry and high-cube — and query any billing at the old tariff. Whether Maersk's surcharge cut holds, or gets matched across the market, will show up in the next round of India import pricing.