Trade coverage this week described a new wave of emergency fuel surcharges as Middle East hostilities push bunker costs higher. Two of the filings behind that coverage set long-haul head-haul levels below what the same carriers published in March.
The more useful detail sits underneath the numbers. CMA CGM and MSC identify different shipment events for applicability, while ONE publishes an effective date without naming the shipment-record event that determines which containers fall within it. MSC also changes the relevant event by trade lane. A shipper running a multi-carrier book may therefore need to reconcile several applicability rules for the same underlying bunker-cost event.
What Each Carrier Has Published
| Carrier | Filing examined | Effective | Head-haul dry ($/TEU) | Head-haul reefer ($/TEU) | What determines applicability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMA CGM | Advisory #12, 21 July 2026 | 1 August 2026 | $150 | $165 | Loading date, subject to regulatory filings where applicable |
| ONE | EFS revision, 20 July 2026 | 15 August 2026 | $75 | $100 | Effective date stated; no shipment-event trigger named in the notice |
| MSC | European short-sea EFS revision, published 27 July 2026 | 10 August 2026 | Set per lane | Set per lane | Bill of lading date for this filing; other MSC filings use different shipment events |
ONE’s revision covers long-haul and short-sea services. It applies from 15 August to non-FMC-regulated trades and to the listed FMC-regulated trades involving the United States, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan and Hawaii, as well as Canada, subject to required regulatory approvals and notice periods. Back-haul and short-sea levels are $38 per TEU for dry cargo and $50 per TEU for reefer cargo.
CMA CGM’s back-haul and intra-regional levels are $75 per TEU for dry cargo and $90 per TEU for reefer cargo. We covered the full CMA CGM table and its loading-date trigger yesterday.
Both August Levels Sit Below March
| Carrier and equipment | March 2026 | August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| CMA CGM head-haul dry | $150 from 16 Mar, raised to $265 from 27 Mar | $150 from 1 Aug |
| CMA CGM head-haul reefer | $180 from 16 Mar, raised to $320 from 27 Mar | $165 from 1 Aug |
| ONE head-haul dry | $160 from 24 Mar | $75 from 15 Aug |
| ONE head-haul reefer | $210 from 24 Mar | $100 from 15 Aug |
ONE has revised its EFS twice since March, and the August level is less than half the March level for both dry and reefer cargo. CMA CGM returns to its original 16 March dry level and lands $15 per TEU below its original reefer level, well below the $265 and $320 head-haul levels it introduced on 27 March.
CMA CGM’s Advisory #10 stated that its revised ocean EFS levels would remain applicable until further notice. The carrier’s central Middle East advisory page shows no subsequent ocean EFS revision before Advisory #12. On the published schedule, the August 1 head-haul levels are therefore lower than the immediately preceding March 27 levels, although regulatory filings and contract-specific treatment may produce different results on individual accounts.
Different Surcharges Use Different Applicability Fields
The listed quantum is only one part of the charge. The shipment event used to determine applicability decides which containers actually cross the effective-date line.
CMA CGM names loading date. Under the carrier’s stated rule, a container booked in July and loaded on 2 August falls within the new EFS, subject to applicable regulatory filings and contract terms. The booking date, invoice date and gate-in date do not replace the loading-date test stated in Advisory #12.
ONE gives an effective date but does not name the shipment-record event used to determine applicability. Its notice directs customers to the quantum appendix and local representatives. Shippers therefore need to confirm whether the relevant tariff or local filing applies the change by loading date, sailing date, gate-in date, bill of lading date or another event.
MSC varies the trigger by filing. Its latest European short-sea revision, published 27 July and effective 10 August, uses bill of lading date. The March version of that European filing used pro-forma date, while its Asia–United States and Canada revision used gate-in date. The applicable field therefore depends on the trade-specific notice rather than on a single MSC-wide rule.
Maersk Adds a Separate Inland Test
Maersk is not included in the ocean EFS table. Its 21 July notice updates an Emergency Inland Fuel/Energy Surcharge for Store Door shipments in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, based on a PCD date of 22 July or later.
The percentages are reviewed weekly and currently range from 0% in Norway to 15% in Estonia. Electric-truck and rail solutions are currently excluded. Maersk did not announce a corresponding per-TEU ocean EFS in that notice.
The Maersk measure therefore belongs in the same operational review but not in the same rate table. It applies to inland Store Door transportation, uses PCD date as its timing field and is calculated as a percentage rather than as a fixed ocean amount per TEU.
If you are working out which containers fall on which side of different August cutoffs across a multi-carrier book, walk through how ops teams line up loading, gate-in and other shipment events per container in a single view.
Lower Levels Do Not Necessarily Mean a Lower Invoice
The published ocean EFS quantum is coming down on CMA CGM and ONE compared with their March head-haul levels. That does not mean the total fuel-related amount on an invoice will fall by the same proportion.
Maersk’s Nordic inland surcharge is a separate category with its own geography, timing field and weekly review cycle. CMA CGM operates inland and ocean fuel-related surcharges separately. MSC publishes trade-specific emergency fuel amounts that can vary by origin, destination, equipment and applicability date.
A container can therefore carry a lower ocean EFS quantum while still attracting a separate inland charge, conflict surcharge or lane-specific adjustment. The comparison needs to be made at shipment level rather than from the headline ocean rate alone.
What to Check on August Cargo
- Carrier and trade lane: identify the specific filing that covers the shipment rather than applying a carrier-wide assumption.
- Trigger event: confirm whether applicability turns on loading date, bill of lading date, gate-in date, pro-forma date, PCD date or another tariff-defined field.
- Equipment basis: verify whether the published amount is per TEU, per container or percentage-based.
- Regulatory treatment: check whether FMC or other local filing requirements alter the announced effective date.
- Separate line items: review inland fuel, emergency conflict and other energy-related surcharges alongside the ocean EFS.
- Contract treatment: confirm whether the service contract passes through the published surcharge, modifies it or replaces it with an account-specific amount.
Further Reading
- CMA CGM — Middle East Situation Updates
- ONE — Update of Emergency Fuel Surcharge
- MSC — EFS for European Short-Sea Trades
- Maersk — Emergency Inland Fuel Surcharge in the Nordics
CMA CGM figures and applicability language are taken from Customer Advisories #7, #10 and #12 on the carrier’s Middle East situation page. ONE figures are taken from its March and July 2026 Emergency Fuel Surcharge notices. MSC applicability examples are taken from selected trade-specific notices, including the European short-sea revision published 27 July 2026, and should not be treated as a single carrier-wide rule. Maersk inland surcharge details are taken from its 21 July 2026 Nordic advisory. Sources were retrieved 29 July 2026. Surcharge amounts, effective dates and applicability rules remain subject to regulatory filings, trade-specific tariffs and service-contract terms. Confirm the current filing for the applicable origin, destination, equipment and shipment event before quoting or disputing a charge.
Need help interpreting this disruption or your shipment?
For a quick question, chat with Tradlinx on WhatsApp. For a deeper discussion, book a time below.
Prefer email? Contact us directly at min.so@tradlinx.com (Americas), sondre.lyndon@tradlinx.com (Europe), or henry.jo@tradlinx.com (EMEA/Asia).
Leave a Reply