CMA CGM has joined the march of container liner operators levying a surcharge to pass down the cost of the European Union’s upcoming emissions trading rules.
The French liner giant said shipping’s entry into the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) will result in a surcharge that starts in mid-November.
The new fees range from €20 ($21) per teu for containerised dry cargoes from Asia to the Mediterranean to €60 per teu for reefer cargoes from Europe to South America’s west coast.
Marseilles-headquartered CMA CGM said it will review the fees quarterly, depending on regulatory changes and carbon permit pricing.
The move comes as Brussels gears up to require shipping companies to pay for the right to pollute for voyages starting on 1 January.
CMA CGM used the surcharge announcement to highlight the liner operator’s “decarbonisation journey”, which has included the use of biofuels, orders for LNG-fuelled vessels that can use biomethane and synthetic e-methane, and efforts to optimise its operations.
The company has committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and created a €1.5bn fund to accelerate the transition.
“Climate change is a global concern that needs to be addressed collectively,” the French company said.
“At the heart of all commercial exchanges, shipping is required to contribute to the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is progressively integrated into regional and international legislative frameworks.”
CMA CGM is not alone in levying a surcharge.
| Trade | Surcharge per teu for dry cargoes | Surcharge per teu for reefer cargoes |
| Asia to North Europe | €25 | €40 |
| Asia to Mediterranean | €20 | €30 |
| Europe to North America | €43 | €65 |
| Europe to South America West Coast | €43 | €60 |
| North Europe to Mediterranean | €25 | €35 |
| Intra Mediterranean | €25 | €40 |
| Intra North Europe | €37 | €48 |
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company chief executive Soren Toft told TradeWinds in April that customers will have to pay the costs of EU emissions trading through a surcharge.
Denmark’s AP Moller-Maersk said last month that it would levy a charge for customers outside of its ECO Delivery programme, in which shippers already pay more for voyages using green fuels.
“The cost of compliance is expected to be significant and will keep increasing with the phased implementation,” the Copenhagen-listed company said.
“It will be passed on as a standalone surcharge known as ‘Emissions Surcharge’ applied to all bookings on the voyage that will be subject to the EU ETS.”
Mearsk’s customers will pay between €11 per forty-foot equivalent unit (feu) for a dry shipment from Southern Europe to the Far East to €228 per feu for a reefer cargo from Europe to West Africa.
