Three Carriers Activate New Surcharges April 18. Here's the Updated Rate Table.

MSC has updated emergency fuel surcharge rates on two additional trade lane groups since April 7 and confirmed new Asia-to-North America rates taking effect May 1. Maersk activates a $100/container intermodal surcharge for U.S. and Canada on April 18. ONE’s new inland haulage fee structure replaces its earlier inland EFS the same day. CMA CGM’s India-origin EFS adjustment also takes effect April 18. If you quoted cargo in early April using March surcharge levels, those numbers are likely already wrong.

This post updates our April 7 surcharge roundup with current carrier-by-carrier status. The reference table below covers ocean EFS and inland surcharges for all five major carriers plus OOCL.

What Changed Since April 7

April 18 is a convergence date. Three carriers are activating new or revised surcharges on the same day. Maersk’s $100/container intermodal fuel surcharge kicks in for all U.S. and Canada CY and inland rail ramp shipments with a price calculation date on or after April 18. Maersk says this is added to the ocean EBS and appears as one combined Emergency Bunker Fuel fee on the invoice. ONE’s Inland Haulage Fee (IHD inbound, IHL outbound) goes live the same day for U.S. and Canada, replacing the earlier inland EFS with a monthly-reviewed structure. And CMA CGM’s revised EFS for India-origin trades takes effect April 18.

MSC has been the most active on ocean EFS. Since April 7, MSC published two new updates: a Europe–Red Sea/East Africa rate table update effective April 16 through April 30, and an extension of the Med/Black Sea EFS through April 30 at unchanged levels. The Asia-to-North America EFS revision effective May 1 was announced before our last update but takes effect in two weeks — with rates meaningfully higher than the current April 9 levels. MSC is now managing EFS across at least six trade lane groups with different rates, effective dates, and expiry windows.

Maersk’s FMC surcharge saga landed. After the FMC denied Maersk’s fast-track request twice (March 4 and April 3), the EBS on FMC-regulated trades went through the standard 30-day waiting period and is now live. Separately, Maersk announced a Transit Disruption Surcharge (TDS) for capacity constraints and rerouting costs, plus a PickUp Charge Export (PIC) for non-preferred empty pickup locations effective April 6. The surcharge stack on a single Maersk shipment can now include ocean EBS, intermodal fuel surcharge, TDS, and PIC — four separate emergency-category charges layered on top of standard bunker and freight mechanisms.

Hapag-Lloyd remains the least transparent. Ocean EFS is active and FMC-scope trades became effective April 8. Inland EFS for North Europe is confirmed. But Hapag-Lloyd still does not publish updated dollar amounts — shippers are directed to their sales representative. For operations teams managing multi-carrier bookings, this makes apples-to-apples cost comparison harder.

OOCL’s EBS is now live on FMC trades. The FMC-scope surcharge became effective April 13. OOCL reviews its EBS every 14 days — meaning the next potential adjustment window is around April 27.

Carrier-by-Carrier Surcharge Status: April 15, 2026

MSC — Emergency Fuel Surcharge (EFS)

Ocean EFS active across multiple trade lanes with different rates and windows. Asia to North America: currently effective from April 9 at $215/20′ dry to East Coast, $136/20′ dry to West Coast. MSC has separately published higher rates effective May 1 at $322/20′ dry to East Coast, $234/20′ dry to West Coast. Reefer rates are higher per MSC’s EFS tables. Europe–Red Sea/East Africa: updated rates effective April 16 through April 30 ($135–$320/TEU dry depending on origin-destination pair). Med/Black Sea: extended through April 30 at unchanged levels. Southern Africa, intra-regional, and Indian Ocean trades also carry active EFS with varying rates and dates. MSC’s EFS levels vary significantly by trade lane — do not apply one rate across bookings.

Maersk — Emergency Bunker Surcharge (EBS) + Intermodal Surcharge + TDS + PIC

Ocean EBS effective globally since March 25 (non-FMC) and live on FMC trades after the 30-day waiting period. Dry rates run up to $200/20′ and $400/40′ on long-haul headhaul; reefer rates are higher per Maersk’s EBS tables. New intermodal fuel surcharge: $100/container for U.S./Canada CY and inland rail ramp moves, effective April 18. Appears as part of the combined Emergency Bunker Fuel fee on invoices. U.S. inland fuel surcharge based on EIA 13-week diesel average, triggering above $2.52/gallon (late March average: ~$3.76). Canada: 14% trucking, 12% rail uplift. European inland surcharges range from 1.5% (Norway) to 15.5% (Estonia). Transit Disruption Surcharge (TDS) announced for rerouting and capacity constraints. PickUp Charge Export (PIC) for non-preferred empty pickup locations effective April 6. Nordic electric truck and rail operations currently exempt from inland surcharge.

CMA CGM — Emergency Fuel Surcharge (EFS) + Inland EFS (IEFS)

Ocean EFS revised upward March 27 to $265/TEU dry headhaul, $320/TEU reefer (up from $150/$180 on March 16 — a 77% increase in 11 days). Backhaul at $130 dry, $155 reefer. Intra-regional at $130 dry, $155 reefer. India-origin EFS further adjusted effective April 18. Inland IEFS active across European markets since March 23 (non-FMC), with country-level variation: Spain updated April 7, UK, Germany, and others with different percentage-based uplift rates. Door-Door product subject to separate inland mechanism. FMC-regulated trades subject to standard notice periods.

ONE — Emergency Fuel Surcharge (EFS) + Inland Haulage Fee (IHD/IHL) + Inland Fuel Premium (IFP)

Ocean EFS unchanged at $160/TEU dry headhaul, $210/TEU reefer. Backhaul $80 dry, $105 reefer. Short-sea $80 dry, $105 reefer. Non-FMC effective March 24; FMC effective April 9. Inland: new IHD (inbound) / IHL (outbound) structure replaces earlier inland EFS for U.S. and Canada, effective April 18. Reviewed monthly based on diesel price trends. CY truck routing expanded to apply to CY movements effective April 19. European IFP calculated as a percentage of inland haulage rate, rolling out in waves: UK direct truck/rail effective April 8; most European countries April 8–19; FMC trades April 16; Greece/UK rail combined April 18; select rail-only and barge-only services April 19; remaining services May 1. Latin America inland charges also active across 14 countries. Guam, Saipan, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa excluded from U.S. inland surcharges.

Hapag-Lloyd — Emergency Fuel Surcharge (EFS) + Inland EFS + Contingency Surcharge

Ocean EFS active since March 23 (non-FMC); FMC-scope effective April 8. Last publicly disclosed rates: $160/TEU dry headhaul, $70/TEU backhaul (March announcement). Current rates not published — contact sales representative for applicable levels. Inland EFS for North European markets confirmed under dedicated charge codes; dollar/percentage amounts not publicly disclosed. Contingency / war-related surcharge: $1,500/TEU dry, $3,500/TEU reefer — separate from fuel surcharges.

OOCL — Emergency Bunker Surcharge (EBS)

EBS effective March 23 (non-FMC), April 13 (FMC). Reviewed every 14 days — next adjustment window approximately April 27. This surcharge was not in the March picture and represents incremental cost exposure for shippers using OOCL. Rate levels not widely published; check with OOCL representative.

Why Surcharges Are Not Coming Down

The ceasefire correction was short-lived. Global bunker indices fell sharply after the April 8 ceasefire announcement, with the MABUX-reported global VLSFO index declining to $922.86/MT. Singapore-specific prices later rebounded in some assessments, though published benchmarks differ by methodology and timing. The correction has not restored normal fuel supply distribution — bunker availability at traditional sourcing locations remains constrained as Hormuz transit remains limited.

Singapore bunker supply remains exposed to Middle East disruption and altered sourcing patterns. Carriers are slow-steaming (16–17 knots, down from 19–20) and seeking alternative bunkering locations, which adds procurement complexity and cost even when headline fuel prices soften temporarily.

U.S. diesel is sustaining inland surcharges independently of bunker markets. As of April 13, the EIA put U.S. average on-highway diesel at $5.608/gallon — well above the trigger thresholds that carriers use to calculate inland fuel surcharges. Maersk’s U.S. inland surcharge triggers at $2.52/gallon; the 13-week EIA average was already $3.76 as of late March, and spot diesel has continued climbing since. Until diesel prices drop meaningfully, inland surcharges will remain active regardless of what happens to ocean bunker costs.

What This Means for May Planning

The surcharge trajectory is still upward, not flat. MSC’s May 1 Asia-to-North America rates are meaningfully higher than the April 9 levels ($322 vs $215 per 20′ dry to East Coast). CMA CGM’s headhaul rate rose 77% within 11 days in March. No carrier has announced a surcharge reduction or pause. The direction is extension and expansion — more lanes, more modes, more charges — even as the ceasefire creates headlines suggesting de-escalation.

The total surcharge stack is what matters. A single shipment on Maersk routed through a U.S. inland rail ramp can now carry ocean EBS + intermodal fuel surcharge + inland fuel surcharge + Transit Disruption Surcharge + Emergency Contingency Surcharge + standard BAF. Quoting teams that model only one or two of these will underprice the move. The operational question is no longer “is there a surcharge?” — it is “how many surcharges apply to this specific routing, and which ones are pass-through versus absorbed by the contract?”

Review cycles are not synchronized. Maersk reviews U.S. inland surcharges weekly. ONE reviews monthly. CMA CGM levels may change by market. OOCL reviews every 14 days. Hapag-Lloyd references “ongoing monitoring” with no published cadence. A rate you verified on Monday could be different by Friday depending on which carrier and which surcharge component. If your operations team verifies surcharge levels once and assumes stability, the exposure grows with each review cycle.

Quotes issued in March or early April are likely stale. MSC’s Asia-to-North America EFS has been revised twice since March 11, with a third level taking effect May 1. CMA CGM’s headhaul rate rose 77% within 11 days in March. Inland surcharges from Maersk, ONE, and CMA CGM were not in the picture when most Q2 rates were negotiated. Any all-in quote that does not account for the full April surcharge stack needs to be re-validated before booking confirmation.

What to Monitor Next

April 18: Maersk intermodal surcharge activates. ONE IHD/IHL goes live. CMA CGM India-origin EFS adjustment. These three changes hit simultaneously.

April 22: The U.S.-Iran ceasefire’s two-week window closes. If it collapses, expect bunker prices to spike again and carriers to either raise rates or extend existing surcharges deeper into May. If it holds, the bunker correction could resume — but no carrier has indicated they would reduce surcharges in response to a ceasefire.

April 27: OOCL’s next 14-day EBS review window.

April 30: MSC’s Med/Black Sea and Europe–Red Sea/East Africa EFS windows expire. Watch for extension or revision announcements in the final week of April.

May 1: MSC’s updated Asia-to-North America rates take effect. ONE’s remaining European IFP services go live.