Africa PSS Wave Two: CMA CGM, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd Stack Surcharges Into One Week

One week, three carriers, one direction: Africa. Within five days (22-26 October), CMA CGM, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd all switch on new peak season surcharges (PSS) on Asia- and Oceania-to-Africa trades. It is the second Africa-bound surcharge wave in a fortnight, after CMA CGM's $800/teu East Africa PSS took effect on 15 October. Here is the full map.

CMA CGM — effective 22 October (loading date)

• China to Central West Africa (Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Togo): $350/teu, dry and reefer, short-term contracts.
• China to South West Africa (Angola, Congo, DRC, Namibia, Gabon, Cameroon): $550/teu.
• China to North West Africa (Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe): $250/teu; Conakry stays at $200/teu.
• Far East to Durban, South Africa: $750/teu on all cargo, until further notice; China to Mozambique: $200/teu.

Maersk — effective 26 October, until further notice

• Mainland China, Hong Kong (China) and Taiwan (China) to all West Africa ports: $800 per 20ft dry/reefer; $1,600 per 40ft and 45ft high-cube.
• SPOT bookings are exempt — but non-SPOT cargo is rated by price calculation date, so some contracted shipments already in motion can still catch the charge.

Hapag-Lloyd — effective 25 October (loading date), until further notice

• China, Korea, Japan and Oceania to Northwest Africa (Nouakchott, Dakar, Freetown, Monrovia, Banjul): $400/teu, all container types.
• Same origins to Southwest Africa (Luanda, Lobito, Cabinda, Pointe-Noire, Matadi, Boma, Libreville, Port-Gentil, Kribi, Douala, Walvis Bay, Bata, Malabo): $800/teu.

Why carriers can do this

Demand gives them the room. West African port throughput is up nearly 20% year on year, and vessels are still waiting 13-plus days off Conakry and 11 off Freetown. Tight space plus congested discharge ports is exactly the environment where surcharges stick. None of the three notices carries a sunset clause — "until further notice" is the operative phrase.

What shippers should do this week

• For anything loading 22-26 October, re-confirm the final invoice with your forwarder today, and ask explicitly whether PSS is applied by loading date or price calculation date — the carriers differ.
• For November bookings onward, list PSS as a floating line item in quotations rather than burying it in an all-in rate.
• Time-sensitive cargo: prefer all-in rates that already absorb the surcharge.

Yufeng International Logistics covers East, West and Southern African ports on its Africa services, with surcharge forecasting and space options — see the Africa routes page or write to sales@ruixincargo.com.

Sources: Based on reporting by SeaNews and Shipping Gazette, and official notices from CMA CGM, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd.