Maersk adds a heavy-haul surcharge: $200 more per 20-foot container for Far East routes to Mexico and Ecuador.

For customers shipping heavy cargo to Latin America, starting in April, it's important to pay close attention to container weight. Maersk's latest notice is clear: for shipments from Far East Asia to Mexico and Ecuador, if it's a 20-foot dry cargo container with a VGM exceeding 20 tons, a Heavy Load Surcharge will be applied, at a rate of US$200 per container.

How should the new regulations be implemented?

According to Maersk's announcement, the conditions for applying this surcharge are as follows:

There are two points to note here.

First, it applies to 20-foot dry container heavy cargo, not all container types. Second, it affects not only spot bookings but also contracted products, SPOT, Maersk Go, and other ocean freight products.

What is VGM (Vehicle Gross Mercury) exceeding 20 tons?

The announcement clearly explains VGM: it does not only look at the weight of the cargo, but the total weight of "cargo + dunnage/reinforcement materials + container tare weight".

Therefore, some customers may think, "My goods don't exceed 20 tons," but the actual declared VGM may have already exceeded the limit. This is especially true when dealing with heavy goods such as metal parts, machinery parts, stone, raw materials, and chemical packaging, where it is easier to cross this threshold.

What impact will this have on bookings and pricing?

The most direct impact of this adjustment is that it has increased the cost of 20-foot heavy containers from the Far East to Mexico and Ecuador.

In practical terms, several points need to be revised in advance:

• For heavy cargo quotes, you can no longer just look at the ocean freight cost itself; you have to factor in this $200.
• Check your VGM before booking; don't wait until after the cargo space is ready to discover you're overweight.
• Orders already agreed upon with clients based on the old costs may have their profit margins squeezed after April.
• For critical weight cargo, the container loading plan can be reassessed to see if there is room for splitting or reloading.

What suggestions does CZL have?

If you're currently handling heavy shipments from Mexico or Ecuador, you can start by checking using this approach:

1. First, filter out the three types of orders: 20-foot containers, heavy cargo, and orders destined for Latin America.
2. Verify VGM in advance, don't just rely on cargo weight estimates.
3. For quotations that take effect in April, it is best to add a sentence stating "subject to the latest surcharges from the shipping company".
4. For shipments approaching the 20-ton threshold, compare different loading and shipping options in advance.

If you need to keep track of surcharge changes regularly, you can check... CZL Surcharge PageFirst, you need to calculate the overall shipping cost, or you can directly use... CZL shipping cost inquiry Perform basic calculations.

in conclusion

This isn't a general price increase, but rather a typical "targeted price hike": only for 20-foot heavy containers, only for specific routes, and only for cargo exceeding certain thresholds.

However, for those dealing with heavy cargo, this additional fee is often the most damaging, because profits are easily eroded by weight and container type. Reviewing the heavy container orders before April will make things much easier than making up for the difference later.

source

• Maersk: Implementation of Heavy Load Surcharge (HWS) – Far East Asia to Mexico and Ecuador