Will the cost of exporting to Africa rise?!USD 500/TEU!CMA CGM’s sudden price increase sends an
- Author:Maintenance network
- Source:Maintenance network
- Release Date:2026-06-10
CMA CGM recently issued a customer notice announcing the levy of Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) on some routes from Asia to Africa.According to the announcement, from June 15, 2026 until further notice, CMA CGM will implement new surcharge standards for some short-term contract customers.
Involving routes and charging standards
According to the CMA CGM announcement: ▶ The route from Southeast Asia to West Africa is applicable to dry container and reefer cargo at all destination ports.Additional tax standard: US$500/TEU▶ Additional tax standard for the route from China to Mozambique: US$200/TEU▶ Additional standard for the route from South China to Tamatave, Madagascar: US$200/TEU CMA CGM said that the relevant fees are applicable to short-term contract customers and will be further adjusted according to market conditions.
The West African market has become the focus of this round of adjustment
Judging from the scope of this surcharge adjustment, the West African market has been most obviously affected.Compared with the US$200/TEU levy on some routes in East and Southern Africa, the Southeast Asia to West Africa route has a uniform levy of US$500/TEU, which shows that shipping companies maintain a high level of attention to the supply and demand situation in the West African market.Industry insiders pointed out that peak season surcharges are usually used to respond to increased market demand, tight shipping spaces, reduced equipment turnover efficiency, and increased pressure on port operations.In recent years, West African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Cote d'Ivoire have continued to promote infrastructure construction and consumer market development, and their demand for imports of machinery and equipment, building materials, home appliances, and daily consumer goods has continued to grow.At the same time, some West African ports have long faced problems such as tight berth resources, low equipment turnover efficiency, and fluctuating customs clearance capabilities. The market's carrying capacity for new cargo volumes is relatively limited.
Shipping companies continue to strengthen their presence in the African market
In addition to CMA CGM, many international liner companies have continued to increase their investment in the African market in recent years.Public information shows that MSC continues to expand its West African route service network; Maersk has strengthened its market coverage in East and Southern Africa in recent years; shipping companies such as Hapag-Lloyd and ONE have also continued to optimize their African route layout.At the same time, several African port expansion projects are progressing.Projects including the Lekki Deep Sea Port in Nigeria, the Abidjan Port expansion project in Cote d'Ivoire, and the Dar es Salaam Port upgrade project in Tanzania are all regarded as important infrastructure construction to enhance regional logistics capabilities.It is generally believed in the industry that with the growth of Africa's population, the expansion of consumer markets and the advancement of regional trade integration, the African market is becoming one of the emerging growth areas that global liner companies are focusing on.
Industry observation
Judging from historical experience, peak season surcharges are usually one of the important tools used by shipping companies to adjust market supply and demand.This time CMA CGM has raised the PSS of some African routes, reflecting the shipping company's relatively positive expectations for the future cargo volume performance of the relevant market.Especially in the West African market, the surcharge level is significantly higher than that of other regional routes, which also shows that shipping companies are concerned about local space resources and operating pressure.For cargo owners and freight forwarding companies, in addition to paying attention to freight rate changes in the future, they should also focus on shipping company capacity deployment, port congestion and container equipment supply. These factors may have a more direct impact on the market trend of African routes.
Involving routes and charging standards
According to the CMA CGM announcement: ▶ The route from Southeast Asia to West Africa is applicable to dry container and reefer cargo at all destination ports.Additional tax standard: US$500/TEU▶ Additional tax standard for the route from China to Mozambique: US$200/TEU▶ Additional standard for the route from South China to Tamatave, Madagascar: US$200/TEU CMA CGM said that the relevant fees are applicable to short-term contract customers and will be further adjusted according to market conditions.
The West African market has become the focus of this round of adjustment
Judging from the scope of this surcharge adjustment, the West African market has been most obviously affected.Compared with the US$200/TEU levy on some routes in East and Southern Africa, the Southeast Asia to West Africa route has a uniform levy of US$500/TEU, which shows that shipping companies maintain a high level of attention to the supply and demand situation in the West African market.Industry insiders pointed out that peak season surcharges are usually used to respond to increased market demand, tight shipping spaces, reduced equipment turnover efficiency, and increased pressure on port operations.In recent years, West African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Cote d'Ivoire have continued to promote infrastructure construction and consumer market development, and their demand for imports of machinery and equipment, building materials, home appliances, and daily consumer goods has continued to grow.At the same time, some West African ports have long faced problems such as tight berth resources, low equipment turnover efficiency, and fluctuating customs clearance capabilities. The market's carrying capacity for new cargo volumes is relatively limited.
Shipping companies continue to strengthen their presence in the African market
In addition to CMA CGM, many international liner companies have continued to increase their investment in the African market in recent years.Public information shows that MSC continues to expand its West African route service network; Maersk has strengthened its market coverage in East and Southern Africa in recent years; shipping companies such as Hapag-Lloyd and ONE have also continued to optimize their African route layout.At the same time, several African port expansion projects are progressing.Projects including the Lekki Deep Sea Port in Nigeria, the Abidjan Port expansion project in Cote d'Ivoire, and the Dar es Salaam Port upgrade project in Tanzania are all regarded as important infrastructure construction to enhance regional logistics capabilities.It is generally believed in the industry that with the growth of Africa's population, the expansion of consumer markets and the advancement of regional trade integration, the African market is becoming one of the emerging growth areas that global liner companies are focusing on.
Industry observation
Judging from historical experience, peak season surcharges are usually one of the important tools used by shipping companies to adjust market supply and demand.This time CMA CGM has raised the PSS of some African routes, reflecting the shipping company's relatively positive expectations for the future cargo volume performance of the relevant market.Especially in the West African market, the surcharge level is significantly higher than that of other regional routes, which also shows that shipping companies are concerned about local space resources and operating pressure.For cargo owners and freight forwarding companies, in addition to paying attention to freight rate changes in the future, they should also focus on shipping company capacity deployment, port congestion and container equipment supply. These factors may have a more direct impact on the market trend of African routes.