March 26th, 2026 – The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) unanimously denied requests from four major ocean carriers to waive the standard 30-day notice period required before implementing new surcharges. As a result, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, and Zim Integrated Shipping Services must wait until early April before applying the additional charges to their customers.
In early March, the carriers submitted formal notices to the FMC outlining their intent to introduce surcharges tied to increased operating costs. These costs stem from rising fuel prices and disruptions to vessels and equipment following military actions in the Middle East in late February. Alongside these filings, the carriers sought permission to bypass the 30-day waiting period so they could implement the surcharges immediately, but the FMC rejected those requests.
Zim’s surcharge is designed to apply across all U.S. trade lanes, while the other three carriers apply their surcharges specifically to U.S.–Middle East routes.
FMC Chairman Laura DiBella emphasized that carriers requesting a shortened notice period must clearly demonstrate how their increased costs directly relate to the proposed surcharge amounts. She indicated that simply claiming higher costs is not sufficient; carriers need to provide detailed data, including the nature and duration of those costs and any mitigation efforts. Without such supporting evidence, the FMC does not consider there to be adequate justification for expedited approval. She also advised that any surcharge should be clearly tied to actual cost increases and include a defined timeframe.
The filings submitted to the FMC represent just one approach carriers are using to offset rising expenses. For cargo under long-term contracts, pricing adjustments can also occur through mechanisms such as quarterly bunker adjustment factors and more frequently updated floating fuel surcharges.
War-related surcharges for shipments to and from Persian Gulf countries began appearing as early as March 2nd. However, for U.S. trades, these charges cannot take effect before the end of the 30-day review period unless the FMC grants special approval.
Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk’s proposed surcharges apply specifically to shipments between the U.S. and countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, with Maersk highlighting eastern Saudi Arabia in particular. Maersk plans to charge $1,800 per TEU, $3,000 per FEU and 45-foot container, and $3,800 for refrigerated and special containers. Hapag-Lloyd intends to impose $1,500 per dry TEU and $3,500 for reefer units.
CMA CGM has proposed an emergency conflict surcharge covering both imports and exports involving the Middle East and Africa, set at $2,000 per TEU, $3,000 per FEU, and $4,000 for refrigerated and specialized containers.
Zim, meanwhile, is seeking a more modest war risk surcharge of $25 per TEU and $50 per FEU across all U.S. shipments. The company attributes its increased costs to operational challenges linked to the conflict, including higher war-risk insurance premiums, stricter protection and indemnity coverage terms, vessel rerouting and scheduling disruptions, increased equipment repositioning costs, and reduced workforce productivity due to employees frequently taking shelter during missile alerts in Israel.
Although each carrier submitted its request independently, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and Zim share legal representation through the law firm Cozen O’Connor.
All four carriers indicated that without a waiver of the 30-day notice period, they would face a delay of nearly a month before they can begin recovering the additional costs imposed by the ongoing conflict.
