Maersk will introduce a Heavy Load Surcharge (HWS) for heavy 40-foot containers moving from Far East Asia to selected Middle Eastern markets.
The surcharge will take effect from a price calculation date of 5 October 2026. It will apply when the container’s Verified Gross Mass (VGM) exceeds 20 metric tonnes.
| Origin | Destination | Equipment | VGM | Surcharge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Far East Asia | UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar | All 40-foot equipment | More than 20 tonnes | US$800 |
The surcharge will apply only to contract bookings.
Countries and equipment covered
The origin scope includes Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Cambodia, Mongolia, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
The measure covers the following 40-foot equipment:
- Dry
- High Cube Dry
- Bulk
- Collapsible Flat Rack
- Flat Rack
- Hive
- Pallet Wide
- Open Top
- Tank
- Twin Deck
VGM includes the weight of the cargo, dunnage and securing materials, together with the container’s tare weight.
For non-spot bookings outside FMC-regulated trades, the applicable price calculation date is the scheduled departure date of the first sea leg at the time of booking confirmation. For FMC-regulated shipments, it is the date on which the final container is gated in.
