Why Major Shipping Lines Are Imposing $2,000 Peak Surcharges in May 2025
Publish Time: 2025-04-21 Origin: Site
Shipping Giants Roll Out May 2025 Rate Hikes Amid Tariff Chaos
Surcharge Wave Hits Key Trade Lanes
1. Hapag-Lloyd
East Asia → North America (May 12):
1,000/20′∣1,000/20′∣2,000/40'
Covered regions: China, Japan, Korea, ASEAN nations
Asia → Latin America (April 22):
500/20′∣500/20′∣1,000/40'
2. Maersk
Far East (ex-China/HK) → US/Canada (May 15):
1,000/20′∣1,000/20′∣2,000/40'/45'
China/HK → Kenya/Dar es Salaam (April 21):
New PSS applied
3. CMA CGM
China/HK/Macau → West Africa (April 15):
$150/TEU for dry cargo
Market Turmoil Behind the Hikes
SCFI Index: Edged up 0.1% to 1,394.68 (April 12), but US West Coast rates fell 4.8% as shippers canceled bookings.
Trump’s "Retaliatory Tariffs": Created a "ship-now" rush followed by abrupt pauses, destabilizing container flows.
Carrier Calculus: Surcharges aim to offset volatility, but actual implementation remains uncertain with shippers resisting rate hikes.
Why This Matters:
Domino Effect: Higher fees could inflate consumer goods prices ahead of Q3 peak season.
Strategic Pauses: Some importers are delaying shipments until tariff clarity emerges, worsening capacity swings.
"This isn’t normal seasonality—it’s tariff whiplash," noted a Shanghai-based NVOCC. "Every cargo owner is now a tariff gambler."