Recently, shipping lines such as Maersk, CMA CGM and ONE have issued notices to levy or update additional charges such as misdeclaration fees, container weight discrepancies and terminal handling charges (THC).

On July 6, Maersk issued a notice on strengthening misdeclaration fees. The notice stated that due to the recent discovery of many misdeclarations, it is emphasized here that for all misdeclaration of dangerous goods, a misdeclaration fee of $5,000 will be charged each time. Any additional costs incurred as a result of taking corrective action will be charged on top of this fee. Maersk said every incorrectly declared cargo could jeopardize the safety of its crew, ships, the environment and other customers' cargo.

Many shipping lines have notified that they will charge fees for concealment/misdeclaration of dangerous goods. For example, HMM previously issued a notice that starting from May 15, 2022, it will book space at its branches in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Xiamen, Fuzhou and Hong Kong in southern China. In case of omissions, the relevant customers shall pay the corresponding liquidated damages according to the actual situation. Depending on the nature of the goods, liquidated damages range from $10,000 to $30,000.

On June 30, ONE issued a notice saying that from July 1, 2022 (the date of booking receipt), a weight difference surcharge (WDS) of US$2,000 will be imposed on each container that is falsely reported, applicable to the westbound Asia-Europe route. Applicable to, but not limited to, the following situations: When submitting the booking, it is found that the cargo details are incorrectly declared, including but not limited to the weight of the cargo, and the deviation between the details displayed on the final bill of lading and the verified gross mass (VGM) information exceeds plus or minus 3 tons/TEU . In addition, for post-cutoff VGM revisions and misstatements, its revision and misstatement charges also apply to such related shipments. ONE said the imposition of this misdeclaration penalty will help safeguard the operational safety of everyone during the loading and unloading of cargo ashore and on board.

Last month, CMA CGM notified a container overweight surcharge, effective from June 15, 2022 (loading date) until further notice. Suitable for 20ft dry cargo containers from Hong Kong and Southeast Asia to the West Coast of Central America and the West Coast of Mexico (except Panama).

Charging standards: USD 200 per 20' dry container when the gross weight of the container exceeds 20 tons and less than 27 tons; USD 500 per 20' dry container when the container gross weight is equal to or more than 27 tons.

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