Shipping Arabia, October 11, 2026 – Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has announced an extension of its piracy risk surcharge and Suez Canal surcharge to additional destinations across the Mediterranean and North Africa. The expanded charges will take effect on October 19, 2026, and remain applicable until further notice, bringing the combined surcharges to $91 per TEU on affected shipments originating in Asia.
MSC attributed the decision to continuing piracy risks around the Arabian Peninsula. According to the carrier, these risks continue to affect vessel operations and shipping routes, prompting the expansion of surcharge coverage to additional destinations.
MSC Piracy Risk Surcharge and Suez Canal Charges
Under the revised geographical coverage, MSC will apply two separate surcharges to shipments moving from Asia to the specified destinations.
The piracy risk surcharge will amount to $55 per TEU, while the Suez Canal surcharge will be $36 per TEU. Together, the two charges total $91 per TEU.
Both surcharges will apply from October 19, 2026, and remain in effect until MSC issues further notice.
The announcement expands the geographical application of the charges across several Mediterranean and North African markets, covering a range of container shipping destinations.
Eastern Mediterranean and North African Ports Included
The MSC piracy risk surcharge extension covers all shipments originating in Asia and destined for Derince in Turkey and West Port Said in Egypt.
Beyond these Eastern Mediterranean destinations, the carrier has expanded coverage to numerous ports across North Africa.
The affected North African destinations include Agadir, Algiers, Annaba, Béjaïa, Benghazi, Casablanca, Al Khums, Misrata, Nador, Oran, Skikda, Tripoli and Tunis.
These locations form part of the wider geographical extension announced by MSC for its piracy risk and Suez Canal surcharges.
Western Mediterranean, Adriatic and Other Destinations
The expanded surcharge coverage also includes several major container shipping destinations in the Western Mediterranean and Adriatic regions.
Among the Spanish destinations covered are Alicante, Barcelona, Cartagena, Málaga and Valencia. The extension also includes Arrecife de Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Puerto del Rosario and Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
In Italy, the affected destinations include Ancona, Augusta, Bari, Cagliari, Civitavecchia, Genoa, Gioia Tauro, La Spezia, Livorno, Naples, Palermo, Pozzallo, Ravenna, Salerno, Trapani and Venice.
Additional destinations include Fos-sur-Mer in France, Marsaxlokk in Malta, Bar in Montenegro, Durrës in Albania and Ploče in Croatia.
The expanded list extends the application of the charges across a broad network of ports serving Mediterranean, North African and Adriatic container shipping markets.
Surcharges to Remain Effective Until Further Notice
MSC confirmed that the expanded charges will apply from October 19, 2026, with no specified expiration date.
The decision extends the application of the piracy risk and Suez Canal surcharges to additional shipments originating in Asia and moving to the designated destinations.
For affected cargo, the combined charge of $91 per TEU will remain applicable until the shipping line announces a further revision.
Source: Al Mal