Maersk Adds Surcharge on Europe-Australia Boxes

Maersk Line advised its customers that it will impose a surcharge on heavy-weight cargo in 20-foot containers bound from Europe, the Middle East and India to Australia and all destinations in the Pacific Islands except New Zealand as of Aug. 2.

The surcharges, which do not include handling, are $250 per TEU with cargo weighing between 10 and 14 metric tons and $350 per TEU with cargo weighing over 14 metric tons.

The kinds of containerized cargo that can weigh enough to trigger this surcharge include scrap metal, grain, paper and pulp. Heavy-weight cargos are usually shipped in smaller volumes in 20-foot containers because they can cause a 40-foot container to bend or break.

--Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com.