Shipping Rate, Surcharge Update for Week of Sept. 3-7

Singapore-based container carrier APL will impose a port congestion surcharge on trades from India to the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, starting Oct. 1. The planned surcharges on dry and refrigerated cargo will be $320 per 20-foot, $400 per 40-foot, $450 per 40-foot high cube and $505 per 45-foot container. The surcharges will also apply to special equipment, including open-top and flat-rack containers.

Freight rates on containerized shipments moving to and from the Indian subcontinent will go up in the coming weeks following a series of rate increase announcements by major carriers. Maersk Line said it will hike its rates by $200 per 20-foot container unit and $400 per 40-foot container unit on cargo from India and Sri Lanka to ports in the Mediterranean, starting Oct. 1. Cosco Container Lines will apply a $300 per TEU increase on trade from the Far East to the Indian subcontinent, effective Sept. 17. Hapag-Lloyd plans to hike rates on all cargo from North America to ports in the subcontinent, starting Oct. 1.

Rates from the U.S. to the subcontinent will go up $160 per 20-foot and $200 per 40-foot dry container, and $350 per 40-foot reefer container. Rates from Canada to the subcontinent will increase $240 per 20-foot and $300 per 40-foot dry container, and $280 per 20-foot and $350 per 40-foot refrigerated container. The German carrier will push its rates up by $300 per TEU on all cargo from East Asia (excluding Japan) to the subcontinent, effective Sept. 17. Shipments from Japan to the subcontinent will attract an increase of $250 per TEU, starting Oct. 1, Hapag-Lloyd said in a trade notice. The subcontinent region includes ports in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.