Maersk to Impose ZAR 24,000 Surcharge on South Africa Route from September 10

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 26, Maersk announced an emergency contingency surcharge for routes from South Asia to South Africa and Indian Ocean Islands. Effective September 10, dry cargo containers shipped from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to the aforementioned destinations will incur an additional charge of USD 1,500 per container, equivalent to approximately ZAR 24,000.

The surcharge applies to 20-foot and 40-foot dry cargo containers, with the same rate of USD 1,500 per container for both container types. The rate table published by Maersk does not include reefer or special containers. The surcharge applies to the S5S trade route, and its implementation remains subject to destination regulatory requirements, local notice periods, and customer contract terms.

Maersk attributes the operational costs covered by this charge to route diversions, extended transit times, repositioning of empty containers and equipment, capacity constraints, and other operational expenses. According to the company's regional operational update for India–Middle East–Africa released in August, some shipping lanes are still adjusting vessel routings, with fluctuating vessel waiting times and elevated yard density at regional ports; while port backlogs in parts of India, previously affected by weather conditions, are largely under control, cargo flow through major gateways is recovering.