By Angelo Mathais India correspondent
24/02/2026
Moving containers by sea out of various markets, including India, is becoming costlier for shippers thanks to a wave of emergency surcharges announced by CMA CGM and other carriers facing “operational constraints”.
French carrier CMA CGM has issued multiple notices of an across-the-board $100 per container add-on from late February to the middle of March.
They include an ‘operational recovery’ fee for shipments from North Europe (Scandinavia, Baltics, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Poland) to Pakistan, seemingly linked to weather events across Europe.
The Marseille-based carrier told customers: “In a continued effort to provide our customers with reliable and efficient service, CMA CGM announces a new emergency operational recovery surcharge linked to recent operational constraints faced in Europe,” .
Indian shippers moving goods to Africa and South America have been hit by similar charges: CMA CGM said shipments from the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East to Morocco would pay a $100 per box levy from 2 March. And containers booked from India and Pakistan with ports of discharge in Colombia, Ecuador ,and Dominican Republic would be charged from 16 March, it added.
Equipment imbalance and overweight container surcharges are other notices rolled out by the carrier.
CMA CGM said an additional ‘imbalance’ fee of $150 per box would be payable from 1 March on short-term contract cargo from San Pedro (Ivory Coast) and Ivory Coast to worldwide destinations.
According to the carrier, the levy is a “consequence of regional developments” and “a continued effort to provide customers with reliable and efficient services”.
The French liner also plans ‘overweight’ surcharges on the West Mediterranean-US east coast trades from 1 March: $250 per teu on boxes with a gross weight exceeding 19 tons.
Severe winter weather across Europe has already become a cause for many carriers to roll new surcharges into their ocean rates, including a $100 per container fee CMA CGM began charging Indian customers on all types of cargo booked from North Europe yesterday.
Meanwhile, Maersk in its latest update, said weather conditions across the Bay of Biscay and Western Mediterranean had improved, allowing vessels and terminals to operate without major restrictions.
“Although improvements in weather conditions have brought a needed relief to the operations in the region, terminals can still experience operational pressures and increased yard density,” the carrier warned, calling on customers to speed up import cargo clearance.
“Prompt pick-up will support smoother operations and help avoid congestion.”