CMA CGM August EFS: Rates, Loading Date and Trade Scope

CMA CGM will apply a new Emergency Fuel Surcharge (EFS) quantum from 1 August 2026, based on loading date, following what the carrier describes as a renewed surge in bunker costs after several weeks of easing. Advisory #12 was issued on 21 July.

Some coverage described the surcharge as ranging from $65 to $165, apparently combining the lowest euro-denominated rate with the highest US dollar rate. CMA CGM’s own table is denominated per TEU and shows a USD range of $75 to $165 per TEU.

The distinction is material. The published values are not flat per-container charges: a 40-foot container generally represents two TEU, subject to the applicable tariff, equipment type and trade classification.

What CMA CGM Published for August 1

Scope	Direction	Dry (USD/TEU)	Reefer (USD/TEU)	Dry (EUR/TEU)	Reefer (EUR/TEU)
All long hauls	Head haul	USD 150	USD 165	EUR 130	EUR 145
All long hauls	Back haul	USD 75	USD 90	EUR 65	EUR 80
All intra-regional trades	All	USD 75	USD 90	EUR 65	EUR 80

CMA CGM Emergency Fuel Surcharge, effective 1 August 2026 by loading date. Rates are per TEU. Source: CMA CGM Advisory #12, 21 July 2026.

The EUR 65 figure is the separately published euro-denominated dry rate for back-haul and intra-regional trades. It is not a USD 65 tier.

The table establishes the EFS quantum, but it does not define which individual origin-destination pairs CMA CGM classifies as long-haul head haul, long-haul back haul or intra-regional. Shippers still need the applicable tariff, quotation or carrier confirmation to assign the correct row to a particular lane.

The advisory states that the surcharge will remain in place until further notice. Implementation is also subject to regulatory filings where applicable, meaning the effective date or filed amount may differ on regulated trades.

Loading Date Determines the Effective Quantum

The global advisory specifies loading date as the effective-date trigger. Booking date and invoice date do not establish whether the August quantum applies.

That distinction can divide cargo from the same booking. One container may be loaded before 1 August while another is rolled or loaded after the effective date. Looking only at the booking record can therefore assign the same surcharge treatment to containers that fall on opposite sides of the boundary.

Terminal gate-in is useful for identifying cargo that may be affected, but it does not prove loading. A container can enter the terminal several days before vessel loading, remain there after a sailing change or be rolled to a later voyage.

The stronger evidence is the carrier-recognized loading date or a confirmed loaded-on-vessel event. Where loading and vessel departure fall on different dates, shippers should confirm which timestamp CMA CGM uses under the applicable tariff.

The practical consequence is that early-August exposure is a shipment-level or container-level question, not simply a lane-level question answered from a rate sheet. Teams with confirmed loading events can identify likely exposure before invoicing, subject to the applicable tariff filing and service contract.

If you are reconciling loading dates across a book of in-transit containers, see how operations teams bring container-level load events from multiple carriers into a single view.

August EFS Drops Well Below the March 27 Peak

The August filing follows two earlier EFS tables published during the March bunker-price surge. The comparison shows that the new dry rates return to their mid-March levels and remain well below the March 27 peak.

Effective date	Advisory	Long-haul head haul, dry	Long-haul head haul, reefer	Back haul and intra-regional, dry
16 March 2026	#7	USD 150/TEU	USD 180/TEU	USD 75/TEU
27 March 2026	#10	USD 265/TEU	USD 320/TEU	USD 130/TEU
1 August 2026	#12	USD 150/TEU	USD 165/TEU	USD 75/TEU

CMA CGM ocean EFS quantum by effective date, USD per TEU. Source: CMA CGM Advisories #7, #10 and #12.

The dry rates in the August table are identical to the rates effective 16 March across all three scope rows. Long-haul head-haul reefer falls to USD 165 per TEU, USD 15 below its mid-March level and approximately 48% below the USD 320 rate effective 27 March.

Advisory #10 stated that its March 27 quantum would remain applicable until further notice. Advisory #12 then publishes a new table effective 1 August. Although the new advisory does not explicitly use the word “replace” or “revise,” the natural reading is that its table becomes the applicable global EFS quantum from that date, subject to regulatory filings and trade-specific tariff notices.

The change will not move every customer’s cost in the same direction. A shipper still accruing the March 27 global quantum would see a reduction under the August table. A contract that had already removed, capped or separately adjusted the EFS may produce a different result.

What the August Advisory Leaves to Local Tariffs

Individual lane classifications are not published. Advisory #12 provides separate values for head-haul, back-haul and intra-regional cargo but does not map specific routes to those categories. The applicable classification needs to be confirmed through CMA CGM’s tariff, quotation or local representative.

Out-of-gauge and breakbulk have no global August rate in Advisory #12. Advisories #7 and #10 included explicit Out of Gauge columns, quoted per 20-foot and 40-foot unit, and a breakbulk line excluding ro-ro. The August table includes neither. Customers moving OOG or breakbulk need a local tariff or carrier quotation rather than extrapolating from the dry-container values.

US trades may require a separate filed effective date. The advisory makes implementation subject to regulatory filings where applicable but does not provide a separate date for cargo within US Federal Maritime Commission scope. The global table is therefore the starting point for US cargo, not necessarily the final filed tariff.

Other regulated markets should be checked separately. Canadian and other regional tariff treatment should not be treated as FMC scope. Applicable amounts and notice periods need to be checked against the relevant local publication or service contract.

Inland remains a separate surcharge structure. CMA CGM introduced separate Inland Emergency Fuel Surcharges with their own geographic scopes and effective dates. Advisory #12 addresses ocean transportation and does not state that it modifies or withdraws those inland charges.

Hapag-Lloyd Moved the Other Direction on July 1

Several weeks before CMA CGM published Advisory #12, Hapag-Lloyd discontinued its Emergency Fuel Surcharge from 1 July. The carrier said its updated Q3 Marine Fuel Recovery levels already reflected the current fuel-cost environment.

The two carriers are therefore using different fuel-recovery structures during the same period of bunker-cost volatility. Hapag-Lloyd incorporated updated fuel conditions into its quarterly MFR and discontinued its separate EFS. CMA CGM published a new standalone EFS table that can change outside a quarterly recovery cycle.

That difference matters when comparing landed cost across carriers. The absence of a visible EFS line does not establish that one carrier has lower total fuel-related charges. Part of the exposure may sit inside a quarterly recovery mechanism under a different charge code.

What to Re-Check Before August 1

Which CMA CGM classification applies to each lane: long-haul head haul, long-haul back haul or intra-regional.
Which shipments or containers have a carrier-recognized loading date on or after 1 August, using confirmed loaded-on-vessel events rather than booking or terminal gate-in dates alone.
Whether any quotation used a USD 65 floor instead of the published USD 75-per-TEU minimum.
Whether a 40-foot shipment has been costed on the correct TEU basis rather than treated as a single USD 75–165 unit.
Your current applied EFS quantum by trade, contract and equipment type, to establish whether the August table creates an increase or a decrease.
For US cargo, the FMC-filed amount and effective date rather than the global advisory alone.
For Canadian and other regulated cargo, any separate local tariff notice or implementation date.
For OOG and breakbulk, the applicable local August quotation, since Advisory #12 does not publish a global quantum.
Service-contract provisions governing emergency surcharges, including caps, exclusions and references to specific charge codes.

The global quantum and loading-date trigger are published. Calculating the likely exposure still requires three additional pieces of information: the correct trade classification, the carrier-recognized loading date and the tariff or contract that governs the shipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is CMA CGM’s August 2026 EFS?

CMA CGM publishes rates of USD 150 per TEU for dry cargo and USD 165 per TEU for reefers on long-haul head-haul trades. Long-haul back-haul and intra-regional rates are USD 75 per TEU for dry cargo and USD 90 per TEU for reefers. Parallel euro rates are EUR 130 and EUR 145 for head haul and EUR 65 and EUR 80 for back haul and intra-regional cargo.

The advisory does not define which individual routes fall into each directional category. Confirm the applicable classification for the lane before calculating the surcharge.

When does the CMA CGM Emergency Fuel Surcharge take effect?

The global advisory takes effect on 1 August 2026 based on loading date and remains in place until further notice. Implementation is subject to regulatory filings where applicable, so some regulated trades may carry a different effective date.

Does the August EFS replace the March 2026 rate?

Advisory #12 publishes a new global EFS table effective 1 August 2026. Although it does not explicitly use the word “replace,” it appears intended to supersede the March 27 global quantum from that date, subject to regulatory filings, local tariff notices and contract-specific treatment.

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