CMA CGM Adds $1,000 Per Box on Asia-Latin America: What Shippers Need to Check This Week

What exactly did CMA CGM announce?

A uniform rate increase of $1,000 per container, effective 15 October 2026 by date of loading, on services from all Asian ports — Japan, Southeast Asia and Bangladesh included — to the West and East Coasts of South America, both coasts of Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico. The scope is deliberately broad: dry containers, reefers, out-of-gauge cargo and even paying empty containers all pay the same $1,000. There is no exemption category.

Is $1,000 the ceiling?

No. The carrier's own bulletin notes that bunker-related surcharges, terminal handling charges at origin and destination (THC), and safety and security charges may apply on top. The all-in impact depends on the specific port pair, so treat $1,000 as the floor of the adjustment, not the total. Separately but on the same date, CMA CGM opened a Peak Season Surcharge of $1,000 per teu from the East Coast of South America to the US, Latin America and the Caribbean — applicable to long-term contract cargo only, running until 28 October for the US and notified Latin American countries, and "until further notice" elsewhere.

What did MSC do on 19 October?

MSC extended two surcharges it introduced in September on East Mediterranean and Black Sea services to a wider set of Mediterranean and North African ports: a piracy risk surcharge of $55 per teu and a Suez Canal surcharge of $36 per teu — $91 per teu combined, effective today. The backdrop: since the Suez Canal Authority scrapped deep discounts in April, a single transit for a 20,000-teu-class vessel costs $700,000 to $850,000, and carriers returning to the Red Sea routing are passing transit and risk costs through as surcharges.

What should shippers actually do?

Three checks, this week. First, split any cargo straddling the 15 October loading-date boundary and reprice the two halves separately — one blended quote will be wrong on one side. Second, audit orders already quoted to customers but not yet shipped: if the original quote is silent on who absorbs new surcharges, renegotiate the $1,000 allocation now rather than absorbing it silently. Third, get written confirmation from the carrier on which ancillary charges (bunker, THC, security) stack on top of the increase, because peak-season disputes almost always surface after arrival, and a documented answer is far cheaper than an argument at destination.

Yufeng International Logistics runs dedicated Americas services covering Mexico, both South American coasts and major Caribbean ports — see the Americas routes page.

Sources: Based on CMA CGM's official rate announcement, Shipping Gazette and industry coverage of the MSC notice.