Nigerian importers are facing another potential shipping cost challenge as French shipping giant CMA CGM announced a fresh round of Peak Season Surcharges (PSS) on cargo from China to Nigeria and other West African countries, marking the third such announcement this year following earlier adjustments on 27 March and 15 June.
The latest move, scheduled to take effect on 22 October 2026, will introduce revised surcharge rates for dry and refrigerated cargo shipped from China and its Special Administrative Regions to several West African destinations under short-term contracts. Under the new pricing structure, shipments to the Central West Africa region, which includes Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana and Togo, will attract a Peak Season Surcharge of US$350 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU).
Cargo destined for South West Africa will face a surcharge of US$550 per TEU. The affected countries include Angola, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Gabon and Cameroon. The same US$550 per TEU surcharge will apply to shipments to North West Africa, covering Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe.
However, the surcharge for Guinea Conakry will remain unchanged at US$200 per TEU. The revised West African surcharges will apply to dry and refrigerated cargo moving under short-term contracts, adding another development for importers and businesses monitoring the cost of moving goods from China into African markets.
The latest announcement follows two earlier PSS adjustments by CMA CGM this year, issued on 27 March and 15 June, making the October revision the third round of surcharge announcements affecting Nigeria and other West African destinations in 2026. In a separate update, CMA CGM will introduce a US$100 per TEU Peak Season Surcharge on all cargo moving from the Far East to Mogadishu, Somalia.
The Mogadishu surcharge will take effect on 15 October 2026, based on the date of loading, and will remain in force until further notice. For shipments originating in China, the carrier noted that the announced surcharges will be subject to filing with the Shanghai Shipping Exchange and/or incorporated into the applicable ocean freight Peak Season Surcharge.