CMA CGM has announced the introduction of a new Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) on container shipping services from Asia to the Mediterranean and North Africa, which will take effect on November 25, 2026. The measure will entail an additional cost of $800 per 20-foot container and $1,600 per 40-foot unit, the company has informed its customers.
The surcharge will apply to shipments made from major Asian ports to main ports in the Mediterranean and North Africa. The shipping company has set the date the goods are loaded at the port of origin as the reference point for its effective date, so the surcharge will affect containers shipped on or after November 25, regardless of their scheduled arrival date.
The commercial notice, initially published on November 6 and circulated by CMA CGM Spain on the 9th, states that the new amounts will apply to both dry cargo containers (dry) and refrigerated containers (reefer), in their various configurations.
The scope also includes out-of-gauge cargo (Out of Gauge, OOG), referring to loads whose dimensions exceed those of standard equipment, as well as empty containers subject to freight charges.
The company has not set a specific end date for the surcharge, which will remain in effect until further notice. Nor has it provided an itemized list of the ports affected in its notice; instead, it has defined the geographical scope as major Asian ports of origin and main destination ports in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
According to the announced terms, the PSS amounts will be added to ocean freight rates and other charges applicable to each shipment, in accordance with the relevant contractual terms.
Accordingly, the new surcharge will not replace other charges associated with ocean transport, including those related to fuel, container handling at the origin and destination terminals (Terminal Handling Charges, THC), or security costs.
CMA CGM also reserves the right to apply other local charges depending on the characteristics of each shipment. The company’s commercial tools remain available for checking base freight rates and the various surcharges associated with its services.
In countries where the implementation of tariff changes requires registration procedures or other administrative formalities, the shipping company says the new surcharge will take effect in accordance with the applicable legislation.
The measure thus introduces an additional component into the cost structure of import traffic from Asia to Mediterranean and North African ports. Its specific application will depend on the type of container, the port of origin and destination, the shipment date, and the commercial terms agreed with each customer.
