Asia–Mediterranean Freight Rates Shift as MSC Raises FAK Tariffs and Maersk Restores Peak Season Surcharge
Shipping Arabia, November 14, 2026 – Asia–Mediterranean freight rates are entering another period of adjustment as Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) increases its Freight All Kinds (FAK) tariffs and Maersk reinstates its Peak Season Surcharge (PSS). The changes introduce higher published rates and additional charges across several Mediterranean destinations, complicating freight cost calculations for shippers and freight forwarders.
According to a Freightos market analysis reported by Al Mal, the two carriers are implementing different pricing measures during November. MSC is raising its published FAK tariffs while expanding the geographical coverage of existing piracy risk and Suez Canal surcharges. Meanwhile, Maersk is reintroducing a peak season surcharge that it previously withdrew in September.
The distinction is significant because MSC’s FAK tariffs provide a basis for calculating specified additional charges, while Maersk’s PSS represents one component of a broader freight pricing structure. Consequently, comparing the two announcements directly does not establish the total cost of shipping with either carrier.
MSC Increases Asia–Mediterranean Freight Rates From November 15
MSC announced its revised FAK tariffs in late October, with implementation scheduled for November 15. The revised rates remain effective until further notice, but no later than November 30, 2026.
The tariff announcement covers shipments from Far Eastern ports to Northern Europe, Mediterranean destinations and the Black Sea. Compared with MSC’s previous rates for November 1–14, the adjustments vary considerably across destinations.
For 40-foot dry and high-cube containers, MSC will increase its published rate from the Far East to the Western Mediterranean by 6%, from $5,000 to $5,300. The same adjustment applies to destinations in the Adriatic region.
Eastern Mediterranean destinations will face a larger increase of approximately 11.8%, with rates rising from $5,100 to $5,700 per 40-foot container. This region includes Egyptian Mediterranean ports such as Damietta, East Port Said and West Port Said.
Meanwhile, Black Sea rates will increase by approximately 11.3%, from $5,300 to $5,900 per 40-foot container.
These adjustments widen the difference between MSC’s published rates for Western Mediterranean destinations and those serving the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea.
However, the figures represent published FAK tariffs for successive periods rather than confirmed changes in the final freight costs paid by individual customers. They also do not establish how much cargo will move under the announced rates or how individual contracts and bookings may be affected.
The broader spot market has also strengthened. According to Freightos, Asia–Mediterranean spot freight rates increased approximately 23% over the preceding month, reaching a benchmark of $4,375 per forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU) following a further weekly increase of 3%.
Nevertheless, freight forwarders remained uncertain whether carriers would successfully implement additional planned increases. Published carrier tariffs and spot market benchmarks provide different indicators and do not independently determine the final cost of a particular shipment.
MSC Surcharge Structure Adds to Published Freight Costs
MSC’s tariff structure illustrates why published FAK rates do not necessarily represent the total amount payable for transporting a container.
Under MSC’s October 29 announcement, its published FAK tariffs already include the Global Fuel Surcharge (GFS), set at $266 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) for November. They also incorporate applicable Emission Control Area (ECA) charges, including $15 per TEU for Mediterranean destinations.
Because these charges are already included, they should not be added again when calculating freight costs from the published FAK tariff.
Other surcharges remain separately applicable. For Mediterranean destinations, MSC lists carbon-related charges comprising a Carbon Limitation Surcharge (CLS) of $20 per TEU and a Carbon Review Surcharge (CRS) of $133 per TEU.
In addition, the carrier applies a Piracy Risk Surcharge (PRS) of $55 per TEU and a Suez Canal Surcharge (SCS) of $36 per TEU, subject to the relevant geographical coverage and effective dates.
Together, these four separately charged components total $244 per TEU, equivalent to $488 for a 40-foot container.
For example, a shipment in a 40-foot container moving to a major Western Mediterranean port would have a calculated freight amount of $5,788. This combines MSC’s published FAK rate of $5,300 with the additional $488, assuming all four surcharges apply.
For an Eastern Mediterranean destination, the equivalent calculation reaches $6,188, based on a published FAK tariff of $5,700 and the same $488 in additional charges.
Neither figure represents a final freight quotation. Additional costs may include terminal handling charges, local fees, outport charges and other expenses determined by the shipment’s applicable tariff conditions.
The calculations demonstrate that the published ocean freight rate and the amount ultimately payable under a carrier’s tariff can differ substantially.
MSC Expands Piracy Risk and Suez Canal Surcharges
Alongside its FAK rate increases, MSC announced a further expansion of its existing piracy risk and Suez Canal surcharges.
According to the Freightos analysis, MSC’s November 4 announcement extends the geographical application of the PRS and SCS to the remaining Mediterranean and Black Sea ports from November 15.
Importantly, the carrier has not increased the published amounts of either surcharge. The PRS remains $55 per TEU, while the SCS remains $36 per TEU.
MSC originally introduced these charges for selected Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea destinations in September. The carrier subsequently widened their geographical coverage in October before announcing the additional expansion in November.
Therefore, the latest development concerns the number of destinations covered by the charges rather than an increase in their individual values.
For cargo moving to destinations already subject to the PRS and SCS, the November announcement does not independently introduce another increase in those surcharge amounts.
However, shipments to newly included destinations will become subject to the charges under the published tariff conditions from the applicable date.
This distinction matters when assessing freight cost changes. An increase in a surcharge’s monetary value and an expansion of its geographical application are separate pricing developments, even when both affect the overall cost structure.
Maersk Reintroduces $1,500 Peak Season Surcharge
Maersk is taking a different approach by restoring its Peak Season Surcharge on shipments from the Far East to Mediterranean destinations.
In an August 12 notice, the company announced that its PSS would no longer apply to shipments from the Far East to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean from the September 1 price calculation date.
However, on November 4, Maersk announced a new PSS for Far East–Mediterranean shipments, effective from the November 23 price calculation date.
The reinstated surcharge amounts to $750 per 20-foot container and $1,500 per 40-foot or 45-foot container.
The geographical scope includes a broad range of Mediterranean markets, including Greece, Italy, Spain, Türkiye and Egypt. It also covers certain European destinations served through Mediterranean discharge ports.
The November announcement effectively restores a substantial surcharge component that Maersk had removed in September.
However, the $1,500 charge for a 40-foot container is not unprecedented. Maersk previously announced the same amount during a pricing adjustment in June, before subsequent revisions and withdrawals.
Unlike MSC’s FAK announcement, Maersk’s November PSS notice does not specify a corresponding base ocean freight rate between individual origins and destinations.
As a result, the total freight cost offered by Maersk cannot be calculated from the PSS announcement alone. Likewise, the surcharge does not establish whether a complete Maersk freight quotation would be more expensive than an equivalent MSC quotation.
Red Sea and Suez Canal Uncertainty Remains a Pricing Factor
The latest pricing announcements come as container shipping lines continue adjusting their operating networks in the Red Sea and Suez Canal region.
Although some services have announced a return to Suez Canal transits, security concerns and operational uncertainty continue to affect other parts of carrier networks.
MSC has specifically referred to piracy risks around the Arabian Peninsula and their implications for vessel operations and shipping routes when explaining the expansion of its PRS and SCS coverage.
However, the available announcements do not establish a direct causal relationship between individual Suez Canal routing decisions and the November FAK increases or changes to Maersk’s PSS.
Instead, the developments reflect parallel operational and pricing conditions in a market where routing arrangements and tariff structures remain subject to change.
The existence of a Suez Canal-related surcharge also does not necessarily mean that every shipment subject to the charge will physically transit the canal. Determining the actual route requires information about the individual shipment and its applicable tariff conditions.
What the Freight Rate Changes Mean for Shippers
For cargo owners and freight forwarders, the November developments highlight the importance of understanding how individual carriers construct their freight quotations.
MSC’s announcements distinguish between charges already incorporated into its published FAK rates and additional surcharges that may apply separately. Maersk’s announcement, by contrast, identifies a peak season surcharge that must be considered alongside the carrier’s underlying freight quotation.
Timing is another important factor. MSC’s revised FAK tariffs take effect on November 15, while Maersk’s reinstated PSS applies from the November 23 price calculation date.
These dates are not interchangeable, making it necessary to review the relevant booking and pricing conditions before determining which tariff applies to a shipment.
Container size, ports of loading and discharge, excluded commodities, local charges and the treatment of individual surcharges can also influence the final amount payable.
The distinction is particularly important when evaluating freight cost movements over time. A higher published FAK tariff, the introduction of an additional surcharge and the geographical expansion of an existing charge represent different pricing mechanisms.
November’s announcements demonstrate how these mechanisms can operate simultaneously across the Asia–Mediterranean trade.
MSC is increasing its published FAK rates while extending the application of existing risk-related surcharges. At the same time, Maersk is reinstating its peak season surcharge for shipments from the Far East to Mediterranean destinations.
However, these developments do not necessarily establish a uniform increase in the actual freight costs paid across the market.
For shippers, the most reliable comparison remains the total quoted cost for an equivalent shipment, using the same container type, routing and shipping period, rather than relying exclusively on published freight tariffs or individual surcharge announcements.
Source: Al Mal