Maersk has revised its peak season surcharge for containers from India, the wider Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East to the United States and Canada. The new levels apply from 23 October 2026, Container News reported on 25 October1.
This is export cargo leaving India. Buyers importing goods into India do not pay this charge1.
What Maersk will charge
| Destination | Origins named | Container types | PSS |
|---|---|---|---|
| US and Canadian west coast | Indian Subcontinent and Middle East scope | 20-foot, 40-foot, 40-foot high cube and 45-foot high cube dry; 20-foot reefer and 40-foot high cube reefer | US$3,400 |
| US east coast, Gulf coast and Canadian east coast, all ports except Houston | Northwest India, Nepal and Bhutan | 20-foot, 40-foot, 40-foot high cube and 45-foot high cube dry | US$5,150 |
| Houston | India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan | 20-foot, 40-foot, 40-foot high cube and 45-foot high cube dry | US$5,700 |
Other origins named are the UAE, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan1.
The east and Gulf coast rates split by origin group. The US$5,150 level names Northwest India, Nepal and Bhutan, without listing the ports inside that group1. Maersk's advisory page returned an access error when checked for this report, so the port list could not be confirmed from the carrier. The Houston level names India as a whole, plus Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan1.
The revision trims the west coast and Houston levels
Maersk's July advisory set a different schedule. The west coast surcharge was to rise from US$3,000 to US$4,000 on 4 August 2026, then reach US$5,000 from 15 August 2026 through 31 December 20262. The new west coast level is US$3,4001.
That July advisory put the highest east and Gulf coast charge at US$5,800, for dry containers from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives to Houston. Pakistan cargo was to pay US$5,000 and Middle East origins US$3,000 from 15 August 20262. The new Houston level is US$5,7001.
The July advisory did not publish the level for east and Gulf coast ports other than Houston. The size of any change on the US$5,150 line cannot be read from published figures2, 1.
What it adds to one box
The surcharge is charged per container in US dollars1. Maersk lists the PSS as a separate charge from ocean freight. It stays the same for a 20-foot box and a 40-foot box1. The cost per tonne therefore falls as the container gets bigger.
The charge is quoted in dollars and, under the terms published for a separate Maersk PSS this week, is collected at origin unless another payment term is agreed1, 4. For an Indian exporter that ends up paying it, the rupee translation matters. The rupee was at 94.94 to the dollar on 23 October, against 89.87 at the end of 20255. It has weakened to as much as 96.83 to the dollar this year5.
Who pays under which Incoterm
Under FOB terms the buyer pays the ocean freight, so a US buyer bears this surcharge6. Under CFR and CIF the seller pays carriage to the named destination port, and under CIF insurance as well6. An Indian exporter selling CIF therefore carries the charge unless the contract passes it on6.
Maersk's PSS terms, published for a separate advisory this week, say the charge is collected at origin unless another payment term is chosen4. The applicable rate is set by scheduled departure of the first sea leg for non-spot bookings outside US Federal Maritime Commission rules. For FMC-regulated shipments it is the final gate-in date, and for spot bookings the booking confirmation or estimated departure date4.
The Container News summary does not say whether contract or spot bookings are exempt from the India charge1.
Rivals and a falling spot market
Maersk's levels are the highest among the India to North America surcharges Container News has reported recently. Hapag-Lloyd said in July it would raise its peak season surcharge from the Indian Subcontinent, Pakistan and Jeddah to North America to US$2,000 per container from 1 September 20263.
Container News' recent peak season surcharge coverage did not include a matching India to North America announcement from MSC, CMA CGM, ONE or COSCO. That Container News search is not exhaustive7.
Spot rates on the east coast lane have been falling. India to US east coast spot rates dropped by up to US$3,000 per FEU, or 40-foot equivalent unit, in two to three weeks, the Journal of Commerce reported on 23 October. Booking activity slowed through the month8.
That is not a contradiction. A PSS is a tariff line set in advance for a window of bookings; a spot rate is what a carrier will accept for space today. In practice, spot rates tend to fall first when capacity loosens, with tariff surcharges following later, if at all. Maersk's revision moved the west coast level down to US$3,400 and set Houston at US$5,700, from US$5,800 for those origins in July1, 2.
Drewry's World Container Index rose 2% to US$4,585 per 40ft in the week to 22 October. Shanghai to Los Angeles stood at US$8,007 and Shanghai to New York at US$10,1669. But Freight Right, a US west coast forwarder quoted by The Loadstar, said the peak shipping season was "officially wrapping up" and volume was starting a seasonal decline10.
What to watch
First, whether the levels hold past 31 December 2026. The July advisory set the west coast level through that date, and the Container News summary of the October advisory gives no end date2, 1.
Second, November filings. Carriers are cutting sailings and posting new FAK rates to hold Asia-Europe prices from 1 November, and Drewry says surcharges are part of that effort10, 9.
Third, the US port fee decision. USTR has proposed extending its suspension of Section 301 port fees on China-linked ships to 9 January 2027, with comments due on 30 October. The extension is not final11.