Sudden! Urgent notice from the shipping company: The voyage is terminated! Additional charge of US$800/box!

According to the notice issued by MSC, in view of the ongoing and extremely severe security situation in the Middle East, the company has decided to terminate the voyage of some goods under the custody and control of MSC in accordance with the terms and conditions of the MSC ocean bill of lading.

This measure applies to related transshipment and export cargo at ports in the Arabian Gulf and Persian Gulf regions, including cargo still in the terminal yard, loaded cargo, and empty containers that have been released for loading.

MSC stated that all affected cargo will be unloaded at designated ports and delivered to cargo interests. From the moment the goods are unloaded and delivered, the custody, risk and responsibility of the goods will be transferred to the owner or the relevant party interested in the goods. At the same time, the costs involved in unloading, terminal operations, warehousing and other related logistics services will be borne by the cargo owner in accordance with the contract.

However, MSC also provides customers with solutions for continued transportation. If the customer wishes to continue arranging subsequent transportation through MSC, they can re-sign a new transportation contract through the company's agency channel and choose alternative transportation routes or other logistics solutions.

MSC said its team will assist customers in formulating appropriate follow-up transportation arrangements to minimize the impact of supply chain disruptions.

It is worth noting that in order to cover additional operating and logistics costs, MSC will add a mandatory surcharge of US0 per container to all affected goods. This fee is mainly used to compensate for the additional costs incurred by re-routing transportation, port operations and logistics coordination.

Industry analysts believe that it is rare for shipping companies to announce "voyage termination" during the execution of a transportation contract, and relevant clauses are usually activated only in cases of war, security risks or force majeure. This move by MSC shows thatThe impact of the situation in the Middle East on shipping logistics is intensifying .

On March 9, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) issued an announcement stating that from March 22, 2026 until further notice (but not exceeding March 29, 2026), freight rates from all Far East ports (including but not limited to ports in Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia) to Northern Europe, the Mediterranean (including the Western Mediterranean, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Adriatic Sea and North Africa) and the Black Sea ports will adjust the FAK rate as follows:

As noted in the announcement, all prices are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated.

The above rates include the basic rate (i.e. ocean freight) and the following surcharges (calculated by VATOS):

• Global Fuel Surcharge (GFS): Effective in March 2026, USD 54/TEU;

• Emission Control Area Surcharge (ECA): Mediterranean and Northern Europe (including Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France), USD 15/TEU, other Nordic and Baltic countries USD 52/TEU.

   

Additional charges apply:

• Carbon cap surcharge (CLS): USD 20/TEU;

• Carbon Review Surcharge (CRS): US/TEU in the Nordic region, US5/TEU in the Mediterranean;

Note: The Flat Rate Rate (FAK) excludes all International Maritime Organization (IMO) dangerous goods category cargo and high-value cargo.

However, while other shipping companies generally adopt the same strategy, Maersk has made a completely different decision.

In the latest notice on March 9, regarding freight issues in the Middle East, Maersk stated that it wouldTry to avoid flight interruptions, and announced the addition of emergency freight and storage fees:

Small cabinets are USD 1,800, large cabinets are USD 3,000; storage fee is USD 25/day!

Maersk said that given the instability of the current situation, we need to find alternatives to ensure that your cargo can reach its final destination smoothly, including looking for alternative routes and transit warehousing options. To this end, we will impose an emergency freight charge on shipments shipped from or to (existing bookings and cargo in transit) ports in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia (Dammam and Jubail), Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman (except Salalah).

The surcharge is based on your container category, as detailed below:

20ft Dry Cargo Container/USD 1800

40ft Dry Cargo Container/USD 3000

Refrigerated containers, special containers and dangerous goods containers/USD 3,800

At the same time, Maersk also gives 3 options for goods in transit, including "Complete the voyage as originally planned,temporary storage","Return to shipping port"and"Change destination”, among which:

Complete the voyage as originally planned and conduct temporary storage - Maersk will charge the above emergency freight rate, as well as a storage fee of US per TEU per day, a reefer monitoring fee and a plug-in fee (if applicable). At the same time, if the situation continues to deteriorate, Maersk reserves the right to terminate the voyage.

Return to the port of origin/change of destination - standard cash on delivery fees and prices must be paid to Maersk, as well as additional shipping charges, subject to the operator's acceptance.

Regarding the above charges, Maersk explained: "We implement this emergency freight rate to arrange alternative routes to the final destination, including looking for potential warehousing solutions, additional charter flights, etc. This fee covers transportation from temporary storage to the final destination, provided the voyage is safe. "

It added: "If you do not contact us on or before March 21 to inform you of your affected cargo, we will contact you to terminate the voyage. Please be sure to contact our team to ensure that your cargo is properly handled."