ONE will raise its Emergency Fuel Surcharge (EFS) again on September 16, 2026. For long-haul head-haul cargo, the increase is $45 per TEU for dry containers and $60 per TEU for reefers compared with the August 15 table.

Scope	Equipment	August 15	September 16	Increase
Long-haul head haul	Dry	$75	$120	+$45
Long-haul head haul	Reefer	$100	$160	+$60
Long-haul back haul	Dry	$38	$60	+$22
Long-haul back haul	Reefer	$50	$80	+$30
Short sea	Dry	$38	$60	+$22
Short sea	Reefer	$50	$80	+$30

That puts the new head-haul charge at $120 per TEU for dry cargo and $160 per TEU for reefer cargo. Long-haul back-haul and short-sea cargo use the lower $60 and $80 per TEU rows.

For shipments moving around the September 16 changeover, there is one important detail the public notice does not provide: which shipment event determines whether an individual container receives the old or new rate.

Which ONE Shipments Are Affected?

ONE uses three public scope labels in the headline table: all long-haul head-haul trades, all long-haul back-haul trades and all short-sea trades. The table itself does not list individual origin-destination pairs; ONE directs customers to Appendix 1 for the quantum applicable to each service scope. Use the applicable service scope when reviewing a booking instead of assigning a row from a broad route label alone.

ONE gives the same September 16 effective date for non-FMC trades and for FMC-regulated trades involving the United States, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan and Hawaii, as well as Canada. The notice qualifies that date with required regulatory approvals and notice periods where applicable. It also says the EFS will remain in effect until further notice.

The $90 per FEU Figure Explained

Freightos’s August 18 market update, published August 19, said some carriers would increase emergency fuel surcharges by about $90 per FEU in mid-September. ONE’s dry head-haul increase works out to the same amount on an FEU-equivalent basis: the published quantum rises by $45 per TEU, from $75 to $120.

That $90 figure should not be treated as ONE’s universal increase. Reefer head-haul cargo rises by $60 per TEU, while back-haul and short-sea increases are lower. ONE’s advisory remains the source to use when quoting its new charge.

The September 16 Cutover Needs a Check

The public advisory does not say whether loading date, gate-in date, sailing date or bill of lading date controls the rate applied to an individual container. That missing field matters when cargo is booked before September 16 but loaded, rolled or invoiced around the change.

A booking made before the increase does not, by itself, establish which EFS quantum will apply. Check the governing date in the applicable tariff, filing, quotation or service contract.

What to Recheck Before September 16

For a forwarder or shipper, the practical task is a shipment list. Pull active ONE bookings and sort them by service scope, equipment and the governing date field.

• Scope and direction: Confirm whether each booking falls under long-haul head haul, long-haul back haul or short sea.
• Equipment and unit: Keep dry and reefer cargo separate, and preserve the per-TEU basis when comparing the quote with the carrier notice.
• Governing date: Confirm which carrier-recognized event controls the applicable tariff or quote. The August 17 notice does not identify that event.
• Regulatory treatment: Confirm the applicable filing, tariff and effective-date treatment for US, Canadian and other regulated cargo.
• Contract and quote: Compare the published quantum with the current quotation, service contract and tariff before accruing the September charge.

If your team is checking a September surcharge against active bookings, walk through how ops teams trace a surcharge like this to container-level events on their own boxes.

Don’t Compare September Fuel Charges by Headline Number

Other September fuel notices are not automatically comparable. Maersk’s August 17 notice for the Port of Felixstowe keeps an EFS at £3.82 per laden import container from September 1 and schedules a further review on September 15 for October’s level.

The geography, unit and import condition differ from ONE’s per-TEU ocean table. Keep that charge in its own comparison row when reviewing a multi-carrier book.

For September ONE Bookings

New rate: $120 per TEU for dry head-haul cargo and $160 per TEU for reefer head-haul cargo. Long-haul back-haul and short-sea rates are $60 for dry cargo and $80 for reefer cargo.

Effective date: September 16, 2026, subject to required regulatory approvals and notice periods where applicable.

Main thing to verify: The public advisory does not identify the shipment event that determines which rate applies to a container crossing the changeover.

Before applying the charge: Check the applicable service scope, governing date, tariff or filing, quotation and service contract.

Further Reading

• ONE, Update on Emergency Fuel Surcharge, August 17, 2026
• ONE, Update on Emergency Fuel Surcharge, July 20, 2026
• Freightos, Congestion Playing a Bigger Role in Container Rates – August 18, 2026 Update
• Maersk, Emergency Fuel Surcharge – Port of Felixstowe, United Kingdom

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ONE’s September 16 EFS quantum and the August 15 comparison table are from ONE advisories dated August 17 and July 20, 2026. Freightos’s approximately $90 per FEU figure refers generally to some carriers’ mid-September EFS increases and is not an ONE-specific tariff quotation. Maersk’s Felixstowe amount is a separate port-specific charge. Surcharge amounts, effective dates, shipment triggers and contract treatment can vary. Confirm against your own carrier tariff, local filing and service contract before quoting or accruing a charge.

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