CMA CGM has published a new round of pricing changes for 1 October 2026, including new FAK rates and peak season surcharges alongside updated Rate Restoration Initiatives. The three pricing instruments attach to different sets of cargo.
For a desk holding bookings out of Santos, Valencia or Rotterdam in the first week of October, the job is working out which instrument reaches which container, and what the published number leaves out.
The new FAK rates from the East Coast of South America
The new Freight All Kinds rates apply to dry cargo from Brazil, excluding Northeast Brazil, and from Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Eight destination ranges are covered.
| Destination | 20′ | 40′ / 40’HC | 40′ premium over 20′ |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Europe | US$2,165 | US$2,680 | +US$515 (24%) |
| West Mediterranean | US$2,465 | US$3,280 | +US$815 (33%) |
| East Mediterranean | US$3,215 | US$4,030 | +US$815 (25%) |
| Black Sea | US$2,715 | US$3,530 | +US$815 (30%) |
| Adriatic | US$2,765 | US$3,780 | +US$1,015 (37%) |
| North Africa | US$1,965 | US$2,230 | +US$265 (13%) |
| Middle East | US$7,230 | US$7,660 | +US$430 (6%) |
| Red Sea | US$4,365 | US$4,930 | +US$565 (13%) |
The premium column is not in the carrier notice. It is the marginal cost of booking the larger box, and it moves sharply by destination. A 40-foot container costs 6% more than a 20-foot on Middle East cargo and 37% more on the Adriatic.
That changes how much an equipment misjudgement costs. On North Africa moves, upgrading to a 40-foot box you do not fill carries a US$265 penalty. On the Adriatic the same call costs US$1,015.
What the published rate covers
CMA CGM states these FAK rates include basic freight, bunker-related surcharges, EU ETS and the Low Sulphur Surcharge. Terminal handling charges and safety and security-related surcharges may apply on top, and other local and contingency charges may be added.
The bundle is defined per filing, not by standing carrier policy. On the carrier’s 1 August Mediterranean to Middle East Gulf and Red Sea FAK filing, the published inclusion list named basic ocean freight and bunker-related surcharges, with terminal handling, peak season, safety and security, contingency and local fees all sitting outside. We have seen the same variation across carriers on Asia to Europe FAK filings, where similar headline numbers carried different bundles.
The exclusions bite hardest on the cheapest lanes. North Africa at US$1,965 per 20-foot is the lowest rate in the table, and terminal handling at both ends is a far larger share of that number than of the US$7,230 Middle East rate.
The rate restoration reaches nearly all cargo
CMA CGM will apply a Rate Restoration Initiative of US$250 per 20-foot container and US$500 per 40-foot, 40-foot high-cube and 45-foot container on cargo from West Mediterranean ports and Morocco to the United States. The same amounts apply from West Mediterranean ports to Canada, where the carrier defines the origin scope as Italy, Mediterranean Spain and Vigo, and France.
The RRI covers all cargo except out-of-gauge shipments. That is the broadest cargo applicability in the package.
The peak season surcharge only reaches short contracts
| Origin range | Destination range | Per container |
|---|---|---|
| North Europe, including Scandinavia and the Baltic | West Coast South America | €300 or US$350 |
| East Mediterranean, Adriatic and Black Sea | West Coast South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico’s West Coast, Guyana and North Brazil | US$300 |
| West Mediterranean | The destinations listed above | €200 or US$230 |
Contract tenor decides exposure here. Two shippers moving identical boxes from Valencia to the West Coast of South America in October pay differently depending on whether the rate sits inside an annual agreement or a quarterly one. Nothing about the cargo, the equipment or the routing separates them.
That is the reconciliation problem in miniature. Three instruments, three scopes and one shared effective date mean booking data alone may not tell you the full exposure: the PSS also requires the deal period to be checked.
If your team is matching each October booking to the right filing by hand, walk through how ops teams tie every accessorial back to a container-level event.
The effective-date trigger differs by instrument
The East Coast South America FAK and the Europe and Mediterranean PSS both use the loading date at origin to determine application. A container loading on 2 October therefore falls under the new pricing even if it gated in or was booked during September.
The RRI notices for the United States and Canada state an effective date of 1 October but do not identify an equivalent shipment-event trigger. That distinction matters around the cutover: CMA CGM has used different bases in other filings, including gate-in dates at origin. We covered the same trigger-date divergence across four carriers in July.
What to check before 1 October
- Which instrument touches each October booking. The FAK, the RRI and the PSS cover different trades and do not overlap.
- Whether your East Coast South America quotes are being benchmarked against this inclusive FAK number or against a basic-freight number. They are not the same base.
- Terminal handling at both ends of East Coast South America moves, which sits outside the published rate.
- Contract tenor on Europe and Mediterranean to Latin America lanes. Annual agreements sit outside the PSS as published.
- Loading date for the FAK and PSS cutovers, and the applicable trigger under your RRI tariff or service contract around 1 October.
Further Reading
- CMA CGM, “FAK Rates: From East Coast South America to Europe, the Middle East & Red Sea”
- CMA CGM, “PSS: From North Europe & the Mediterranean to South America West Coast, Central America & the Caribbean”
- CMA CGM, “Rate Restoration Initiative (RRI): From the West Mediterranean to the USA”
- CMA CGM, “Rate Restoration Initiative (RRI): From the West Mediterranean to Canada”
FAK, RRI and PSS figures and applicability are taken from CMA CGM notices published on 3 September 2026 and effective 1 October 2026. The 40-foot premium column is calculated from the published 20-foot and 40-foot FAK rates and does not appear in the carrier notice. Inclusion and exclusion language for the 1 August Mediterranean to Middle East Gulf and Red Sea filing is taken from CMA CGM’s published FAK notice. The East Coast South America FAK and Europe and Mediterranean PSS use loading date at origin as their application basis; the October RRI notices state an effective date without specifying an equivalent shipment-event trigger. Scope, applicability and amounts should be confirmed against your own CMA CGM contract or tariff before repricing.
Need help interpreting this disruption or your shipment?
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