Emergency Fuel Surcharges in April 2026: What Changed Since March and Where the Inland Cost Wave Hits Next

Key Takeaways

Every major container carrier now has an active emergency fuel surcharge (EFS or EBS) on ocean trades. Most were introduced in mid-March 2026.
Since then, several carriers have revised surcharge levels upward and extended scope to additional trade lanes.
The bigger development for April: emergency fuel surcharges have expanded from ocean freight into inland and intermodal transport across the US, Canada, Europe, Latin America, and Australia/NZ.
Inland surcharges vary significantly by carrier, country, transport mode, and contract structure, making lane-level verification essential.
Shippers and forwarders who only track ocean-side EFS are likely underestimating their total landed cost exposure right now.

Who This Is For

This post is for freight forwarders, BCOs, importers/exporters, and operations teams managing ocean freight with carrier haulage or intermodal legs in the US, Canada, or Europe. If you quote all-in rates that include inland moves, this directly affects your margin.

What Happened in March (Quick Recap)

Between roughly March 9 and March 25, 2026, the five largest container carriers (MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, ONE, and Hapag-Lloyd) all announced emergency fuel surcharges on ocean freight. The shared trigger was the Middle East situation and its downstream effect on bunker fuel cost and availability.

Our March 2026 EFS roundup covered the initial notices in detail. If you haven’t read it, the short version: emergency fuel surcharges are separate from standard bunker adjustment mechanisms (BAF, MFR, OBS, FFF). Carriers are treating them as exceptional pass-throughs tied to disruption, not normal fuel price movement.

Since that post, the picture has shifted in two important ways.

What Changed: Ocean EFS Revisions

Several carriers have already revised their March surcharge levels upward.

MSC

MSC updated its Asia-to-North America EFS effective May 1, 2026 (gate-in date). This replaces the version announced March 11.

Route	Equipment	Updated EFS (May 1)
Asia to USEC / Canada EC	20′ dry	$322
Asia to USEC / Canada EC	40′ dry	$644
Asia to USEC / Canada EC	40′ HC	$815
Asia to USWC / Canada WC	20′ dry	$234
Asia to USWC / Canada WC	40′ dry	$467
Asia to USWC / Canada WC	40′ HC	$591

Reefer surcharges are higher: $483/20′ and $966/40′ for East Coast; $351/20′ and $701/40′ for West Coast.

MSC also has active EFS notices across Southern Africa, Europe, Mediterranean, and intra-regional trades. These have different levels and effective dates.

What to check: MSC EFS levels vary by trade lane and have been updated multiple times since March. Do not assume the number in your March quote still applies.

CMA CGM

CMA CGM revised its EFS upward effective March 27, replacing the March 16 levels.

Shipment Type	Dry (USD/TEU)	Reefer (USD/TEU)
Long-haul head haul	$265	$320
Long-haul back haul	$130	$155
Short-sea / intra-regional	$75	$90

The March 16 levels were $150/TEU dry and $180/TEU reefer on long-haul head haul. That is a 77% increase within 11 days.

CMA CGM also noted that the EFS quantum for India-origin trades was further adjusted effective April 18, 2026.

ONE

ONE’s ocean EFS remains at the March levels ($160/TEU dry head haul, $210/TEU reefer) for now. FMC-regulated trades (US, Canada) became effective April 9, 2026.

Hapag-Lloyd

Hapag-Lloyd has not publicly disclosed updated EFS dollar amounts since the March announcement ($160/TEU dry head haul front, $70/TEU back haul). They instruct shippers to contact their sales representative for current levels. FMC-scope EFS became effective April 8.

OOCL

OOCL introduced an Emergency Bunker Surcharge (EBS) effective March 23 (non-FMC) and April 13 (FMC). OOCL reviews its EBS every 14 days.

The Bigger April Story: Inland Emergency Fuel Surcharges

This is the development that was not in the March picture and is now hitting landed costs.

As diesel prices remain elevated and fuel distribution remains disrupted, carriers have started layering emergency fuel surcharges on inland transport: trucking, drayage, rail, and intermodal legs where the carrier arranges haulage. This affects any shipment with a carrier-haulage (CY/SD or SD/SD) routing that includes a domestic truck or rail move.

The inland surcharges are structured differently from ocean EFS. Most are either a flat fee per container or a percentage applied on top of the contractual inland haulage rate. This makes them harder to track in a standard rate sheet.

Maersk: Inland Fuel Surcharges by Region

Maersk has rolled out the broadest set of inland emergency fuel surcharges. As of early April 2026:

Region	Mechanism	Level	Effective
United States	Flat IFS/EFS	$140/container	April 18 (PCD)
Canada (truck)	EFS/IFS %	14% of inland haulage	April 2026
Canada (rail/intermodal)	MCI %	12% of inland haulage	April 2026
Mexico	EFS/IFS %	5% of inland haulage	April 1 (PCD)
Nordics (DK, SE, NO, FI, LT, LV, EE)	% varies by country	1.5% (Norway) to 15.5% (Estonia)	March 18
DACH (DE, AT, CH)	Intermodal Fuel Fee	% based on diesel index	March 16 (PCD)
Australia / New Zealand	Intermodal Fuel Fee	Varies by state	March 16

Maersk’s US surcharge is calculated using the EIA 13-week average diesel price and triggers when the average exceeds $2.52/gallon. As of late March, the average was $3.76/gallon.

Note: Maersk stated that electric truck operations and rail solutions in the Nordics are currently exempt from the surcharge.

CMA CGM: Inland Emergency Fuel Surcharge (IEFS)

CMA CGM introduced an IEFS for inland trucking, effective March 23 (subject to regulatory filings). Rates vary by European country:

Country	IEFS Level
United Kingdom	+4% on contractual inland rate
Netherlands, Belgium	+5%
Italy	+6%
France, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Denmark, Norway	+8%

CMA CGM noted that its Door-Door product will be subject to a different inland fuel surcharge mechanism detailed separately.

ONE: Inland Haulage Fee (IHD/IHL)

ONE replaced its earlier inland EFS with a dedicated Inland Haulage Fee structure for the US and Canada, effective April 18, 2026.

Ocean EFS remains separate under the original surcharge.
Inland moves are now assessed under IHD (inbound) and IHL (outbound).
The fee is reviewed monthly based on diesel price trends.
Guam, Saipan, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa are excluded.

ONE also introduced inland fuel charges for Latin America (Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay), calculated as a percentage of inland freight rates.

For Europe, ONE’s inland surcharge varies from 1% (Italy) to 10% (Denmark), with Germany at 5% and Belgium at 5%.

Hapag-Lloyd: Inland EFS for North Europe

Hapag-Lloyd added an inland Emergency Fuel Surcharge for its North European market:

Effective March 23 for non-FMC trades
Effective April 17 for FMC trades
Charge codes: FOI (origin) and FDI (destination)
Covers costs not already included in existing FSO/FSD fuel surcharges

Specific dollar or percentage levels were not disclosed publicly. Shippers are directed to their Hapag-Lloyd representative.

Why Inland Surcharges Are Harder to Manage

Ocean EFS is already complex, but carriers publish most ocean surcharge levels in advisories that forwarders and shippers can reference. Inland surcharges are harder for several reasons:

They are often percentage-based. A 5% or 14% surcharge on an inland haulage rate means the actual dollar amount varies by lane, contract, and container type. Two shipments on the same vessel can have different inland surcharge costs.
They layer on top of existing fuel mechanisms. Most carriers already have standard fuel adjustments for inland legs. Emergency surcharges are in addition to those, covering what the standard mechanism does not absorb.
Review cycles vary. Maersk reviews its US inland surcharge weekly (based on EIA data). ONE reviews monthly. CMA CGM levels may change by market. Hapag-Lloyd references “ongoing monitoring.” There is no single cadence.
Country-level variation is significant. CMA CGM’s European IEFS ranges from +4% (UK) to +8% (Germany). Maersk’s Nordic surcharge ranges from 1.5% (Norway) to 15.5% (Estonia). Shippers with multi-country European distribution need to check each origin and destination.
Carrier haulage vs. merchant haulage matters. These surcharges apply where the carrier provides the inland move. If you arrange your own trucking or drayage (merchant haulage), the carrier inland surcharge does not apply, but your own fuel costs are still rising.

What This Means for Quoting and Booking

If your team quotes all-in rates that include inland legs, the April surcharge landscape creates a few specific risks:

Quotes issued in March may already be stale. MSC’s Asia-to-North America ocean EFS increased, CMA CGM’s head haul surcharge jumped 77% in 11 days, and inland surcharges were added after most March quotes were issued.
All-in contract rates may not absorb emergency surcharges. Check whether your carrier contracts treat emergency fuel surcharges as included or pass-through. Many contracts carved out emergency charges from all-in pricing.
The total surcharge stack is growing. On a single shipment from Asia to an inland US destination via carrier haulage, a shipper could now face: ocean EFS + inland IFS/EFS + any existing BAF/MFR/OBS + war risk surcharge (if applicable to the routing). These are separate line items.

Operational Note: When carrier-side surcharges are being revised on different schedules across ocean, inland, and intermodal legs, the shipments most at risk are those where the booking happened before the latest revision but the cargo has not yet moved. Shipment-level visibility helps teams identify which bookings need cost review before the surcharge effective date passes.

Carrier EFS Comparison Snapshot (April 2026)

Carrier	Ocean EFS (Head Haul, Dry/TEU)	Scope	Inland Surcharge	Key Regions
MSC	$322 (20′ to USEC, May 1)	Asia-N. America + multiple other trades	Not publicly detailed as separate inland EFS	Global ocean trades
Maersk	EBS (global, March 25)	All trades	$140 flat (US), 14% truck / 12% rail (Canada), 5% (Mexico), varies (Nordics, DACH, ANZ)	US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, ANZ
CMA CGM	$265/TEU (revised March 27)	All long-haul trades	+4% to +8% (Europe by country)	Global ocean + European inland
ONE	$160/TEU (March 24 / April 9 FMC)	All trades	IHD/IHL (US/Canada, April 18), % varies (LatAm, Europe)	US, Canada, LatAm, Europe
Hapag-Lloyd	$160/TEU (March 23 / April 8 FMC)	All trades	FOI/FDI (North Europe, March 23 / April 17 FMC)	North Europe
OOCL	EBS (March 23 / April 13 FMC)	All trades	Not separately announced	Global ocean trades

Note: This table reflects publicly available announcements as of early April 2026. Levels are subject to revision. Reefer and special equipment surcharges are higher across all carriers. Some carriers do not disclose specific dollar amounts publicly.

What to Do Now: A Checklist for Shippers and Forwarders

For active quotes and bookings:

[ ] Verify whether your current freight quotes include or exclude emergency fuel surcharges (ocean and inland).
[ ] Identify bookings with a gate-in or PCD date near an upcoming surcharge revision (especially May 1 for MSC, April 18 for Maersk and ONE inland).
[ ] Confirm with each carrier whether the surcharge applies per booking date, gate-in date, vessel departure, or loading date. Carriers differ on this.

For contracts:

[ ] Review whether your carrier contracts carve out emergency surcharges from the all-in rate.
[ ] Check whether the contract allows mid-term surcharge introduction without renegotiation.
[ ] Identify which inland legs are under carrier haulage vs. merchant haulage. Only carrier-haulage legs are subject to carrier inland surcharges.

For cost management:

[ ] Build a lane-level surcharge tracker that includes both ocean and inland emergency charges.
[ ] Flag any shipments routing through regions with the highest inland surcharge variance (Nordic countries, Canada intermodal, multi-country European distribution).
[ ] Monitor carrier surcharge review schedules. MSC and OOCL review frequently; Maersk uses a weekly EIA-based trigger; ONE reviews monthly.

What to Watch Next

MSC’s May 1 revision is the next major effective date for Asia-to-North America trades. If fuel markets remain elevated, further revisions are possible.
CMA CGM’s India-origin EFS adjustment (April 18) signals that trade-specific revisions are ongoing.
Maersk’s EIA trigger mechanism means its US inland surcharge can move weekly. The $2.52/gallon baseline is well below current diesel prices (~$5.38/gallon retail in some markets), so the surcharge is likely to remain active for the foreseeable future.
FMC regulatory lag: Several inland surcharges for FMC-regulated trades (US-origin, US-destination) have later effective dates than non-FMC trades. The April 17-18 window brings several of these live.
Carrier-by-carrier inland expansion: If the fuel situation persists, expect more carriers to formalize inland surcharges in regions where they have not yet done so.