Do Shipping Surcharges Expire? Understanding PSS, GRI and RRI Notices

Of six recent Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM charge announcements covering November and December cargo, only one gives an expiration date: Hapag-Lloyd’s US$500 reefer peak season surcharge (PSS) from Karachi and Port Qasim to the Arabian Gulf, covering sailings from 16 to 30 November 2026. The other five state no expiry.

That matters when quoting December cargo or reusing a rate sheet in January. An open-ended charge stays in force until the carrier publishes a notice that changes or withdraws it, and that notice takes effect from a shipment date such as loading date or price calculation date. A withdrawal normally leaves earlier shipments as they were, so the exposure sits on new quotes: a January rate sheet that still carries a charge the carrier withdrew in December.

This follows US Shipping Surcharges: Why Cargo Receipt Dates Matter, which explains how the applicable start date is determined. Here the question is when a published charge stops applying, and what to record at booking so you can check a later invoice or quote.

When does a peak season surcharge end?

A peak season surcharge ends on the end date in its notice, if the notice states one. When the notice says “until further notice”, the charge runs until a later notice or tariff amendment changes or withdraws it, from that notice’s effective date. Maersk, for example, announced the removal of its LCL PSS from Far East Asia to North and Mediterranean Europe on 16 September 2026, effective for shipments with a price calculation date from 17 September.

There is no published figure for how long an open-ended PSS typically runs. Maersk’s inland peak surcharge for movements via Rotterdam and Antwerp ran from 1 May 2025 until 1 April 2026, when Maersk said congestion had eased. Hapag-Lloyd’s Pakistan reefer PSS, by contrast, has been announced in successive 15-day windows.

Six recent charge announcements: expiry, scope and rate treatment

Carrier	Charge	Lane	Amount	Effective date / basis	Expiry and limits
Hapag-Lloyd	PSS, reefer	Karachi, Port Qasim to UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar	US$500 per 20′ reefer and per 40′ high-cube reefer	Sailings from 16 Nov 2026	Stated end: 30 Nov 2026
Hapag-Lloyd	PSS	Asia and Oceania to Tema, Ghana	US$400 per TEU; all container types	Cargo loaded on board from 6 Nov 2026	Until further notice
Hapag-Lloyd	GRI/GRA	Indian Subcontinent, Pakistan, Middle East to North America	US$1,000 per container; dry, reefer and special equipment	Containers gated in full from 1 Dec 2026	Until further notice; announced rate adjustment
CMA CGM	PSS	South China to Mozambique	US$400 per TEU; all cargo	Loading date from 10 Nov 2026	Until further notice
CMA CGM	PSS	Southeast Asia to West Africa	US$500 per TEU; dry and reefer	Loading date from 15 Nov 2026	No expiry stated; short-term contracts only
CMA CGM	RRI03	Canada West Coast to Indian Subcontinent (also Middle East Gulf, Red Sea)	US$600 per 20′, US$1,200 per 40’/45′ (to Indian Subcontinent)	3 Dec 2026	No expiry stated; applies in addition to earlier RRIs

Six selected charge announcements published between 29 October and 9 November 2026, from Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM or reported by Container News and AJOT. Amounts and eligibility must be checked against the governing tariff or contract.

The four expiry patterns in these notices

A hard window that can be renewed

The Pakistan reefer PSS is the only selected line with a stated end, and it follows an earlier window. Hapag-Lloyd’s 29 October notice set the same US$500 for sailings from Karachi and Port Qasim to six UAE ports from 1 to 15 November. The 16 to 30 November window expands the destination scope to Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar. For sailings after 30 November, a successor provision would be needed. The two published windows show how the carrier can extend a charge while changing its destination scope.

Both windows use sailing dates. On the notice’s wording, a reefer rolled from a 29 November sailing to one on 2 December falls outside the published 16–30 November window unless a successor applies, and the departure date recorded for that box is the evidence. A reefer that sailed on 29 November can still be invoiced in January for the November PSS; the sailing date governs.

What does “until further notice” mean on a freight surcharge?

“Until further notice” means the announced provision has a start date but no stated expiry. A later notice or tariff amendment can change or withdraw it. In three Maersk withdrawal notices this year, the changes took effect between one and nine days after announcement. Maersk’s 23 January 2026 notice, for example, withdrew its PSS from Asia Pacific to South Africa and Mauritius effective 1 February.

Three of the selected notices use this wording: Hapag-Lloyd’s Tema PSS, CMA CGM’s South China to Mozambique PSS and Hapag-Lloyd’s 1 December GRI/GRA. Withdrawn charges can also return in a later pricing round. Maersk’s Asia to South Africa PSS, withdrawn effective 1 February, appeared again at a new level on 15 October and quadrupled for dry containers from 9 November.

On US tariff trades, a change that lowers the shipper’s cost can take effect on publication under 46 CFR § 520.8(a)(4), while § 520.7(c) applies the rates in effect when the carrier or its agent receives the cargo. A prompt withdrawal therefore helps cargo received after it and leaves earlier cargo at the old rate. The 6 November post covers both rules; service contracts need their own review.

A GRI or GRA differs from a separately quoted PSS because it announces an adjustment to the freight rate. A later filing may revise or add to an earlier increase; the notice alone does not establish what a customer’s final rate includes. Hapag-Lloyd’s 1 December filing follows its 1 November filing on the same scope, which announced US$1,000 per container to the North America East and Gulf Coasts and US$1,500 to the West Coast. Check the applicable rate and contract before assuming the increases either stack or supersede one another, as explained in Do Shipping GRIs Stack?

A contract-type limit on who pays

CMA CGM’s US$500 per TEU PSS on Southeast Asia to West Africa cargo, from a 15 November loading date, covers dry and reefer shipments under short-term contracts. The notice states no end date and does not use “until further notice”. Hapag-Lloyd has announced a different contract limit for dry cargo from the East Coast of South America: a PSS from 5 November for 30 days, on long-term shipments only, at US$500 per 20-foot and US$1,000 per 40-foot container.

For these announcements, the contract under which cargo moves affects whether the PSS applies. Two otherwise identical boxes on the same vessel can face different charges if one moves under a covered contract type and the other does not.

Stacked increases, or charges folded into the rate

CMA CGM’s RRI03 from Canada’s West Coast takes effect on 3 December and is announced as applying on top of earlier rate restoration initiatives. To the Indian Subcontinent it adds US$600 per 20-foot and US$1,200 per 40-foot or 45-foot container. RRI02, effective 30 August, announced US$150 and US$300 on the same lane, but covered dry cargo only and excluded special equipment. Do not add every earlier increase to every new quote: check equipment scope, the governing rate and whether the increases were actually incorporated. An RRI may be reflected in the freight amount or itemized separately.

For China-origin cargo, CMA CGM’s October PSS notices for Durban and Mozambique say the charge is subject to filing with the Shanghai Shipping Exchange and/or may be included in the ocean freight rate. An all-in quote may therefore show no separate PSS line. A later withdrawal does not guarantee an equal reduction in the all-in price, because the underlying freight rate and other charges can change too.

Why checking a surcharge comes down to each container’s dates

Several notices use container events: full gate-in, loading on board, sailing or loading date. Others use a pricing date rather than a physical movement. Maersk’s LCL withdrawal, for example, uses a price calculation date; that date may depend on the booking and rate arrangement. Where a notice gives only a calendar date, as reported for CMA CGM’s RRI03, the tariff defines which shipment date counts. Check the tariff or contract before deciding which timestamp determines applicability.

That is what can make a charge difficult to audit. A reefer rolled beyond 30 November may fall outside the published PSS window, while a container loaded after a withdrawal may qualify for the revised treatment if loading date controls. An invoice may not show which pricing date was used. To challenge a charge, keep the carrier notice and any later amendment, the governing tariff or contract, the quote and booking, and the relevant movement timestamp or price calculation date.

If your team is matching carrier notices to gate-in and loading dates container by container across several carriers, walk through how ops teams track those milestones in one view.

What to record when quoting December cargo and rechecking January rates

The expiry condition as written. Record a stated end date, “until further notice”, or no expiry given. Check later notices before treating the original provision as current.
The applicability date and its basis. Record full gate-in, loaded on board, sailing date, loading date or price calculation date, whichever governs. If only a calendar effective date is announced, confirm how it applies to the shipment.
Quote validity against hard windows. Record the Pakistan reefer PSS’s published 30 November sailing-window end separately from the quote’s own validity. Recheck for a successor provision before pricing later sailings.
The contract each booking moves under. Check scope restrictions on lanes such as CMA CGM Southeast Asia to West Africa and Hapag-Lloyd East Coast South America.
The composition of China-origin all-in rates. Request a breakdown where available. If the PSS is incorporated into ocean freight, do not assume a later withdrawal reduces the quoted total dollar for dollar.
Which numbered RRIs and GRI filings the applicable rate reflects, including any differences in equipment eligibility.
Per-container milestones and pricing records. Keep full gate-in, loaded-on-board and departure dates where relevant, plus the booking details needed to establish any price calculation date.
A January re-check. Before reusing a rate sheet, check open-ended charges, new GRIs/RRIs and contract restrictions against notices and tariff or contract updates published since the original quote.

Frequently asked questions

When does a peak season surcharge end?

If a PSS notice gives an end date, its published window ends then unless a successor provision applies. When it has no expiry, check later notices and the governing tariff or contract. A valid charge on an earlier shipment may still be invoiced after the window closes.

What does “until further notice” mean on a freight surcharge?

The announcement gives a start date without an expiry. A later notice or tariff amendment may change or withdraw it. Whether it appears on a particular invoice still depends on the shipment scope and applicable rate terms.

Do carriers announce when a surcharge is removed?

They can issue separate withdrawal notices. In 2026 Maersk published withdrawals of its Asia Pacific to South Africa and Mauritius PSS, its Rotterdam and Antwerp inland peak surcharge and its Far East to Europe LCL PSS. Those changes took effect one to nine days after announcement.

Does a GRI marked “until further notice” ever come off?

Not as a separate line. A GRI or GRA adjusts the freight rate itself, so later filings revise or add to the rate rather than withdrawing a surcharge. Check the applicable tariff or contract to see which increases your rate reflects.

Can a surcharge apply when it is not shown on my quote?

Yes. CMA CGM says some China-origin PSS amounts may be included in ocean freight. Ask for a rate breakdown where available; a subsequent PSS withdrawal does not guarantee an equal reduction in an all-in quote.

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