<p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">CMA CGM has imposed a military risk surcharge on container cargo moving to and from Black Sea ports, becoming one of the first major carriers to formalise the cost of operating in a region that has become increasingly dangerous for commercial shipping . The French shipping line announced that the surcharge amounts to $35 per 20-foot container and $70 per 40-foot container, applicable to all cargo types, effective 9 November 2026 .</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The geographic scope of the surcharge reflects the breadth of the security deterioration. It covers shipments to and from Constanta in Romania, Varna and Burgas in Bulgaria, Poti in Georgia, and other Black Sea ports served by CMA CGM . For cargo involving the United States and its territories, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin American countries, where regulatory procedures must be followed before new charges can be applied, the surcharge will take effect from 1 December 2026 .</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The carrier attributed the decision to the deterioration of the operational situation in the Black Sea over recent months. On 16 September 2026, the Joint War Committee included almost the entire Black Sea water area on its list of high-risk zones, with the exception of the territorial waters of Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, and Georgia . The JWC designation is the trigger for many war-risk insurance policies, and it signals that the insurance market has formally classified the region as a zone where commercial shipping faces elevated risk of attack.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The attacks that prompted the JWC designation have been concentrated in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. Merchant ships have come under drone attack in the Black Sea on several occasions since 6 October 2026 . The Contship Jet, a Liberian-flagged container ship managed by ZIM, sank after being struck by three naval drones near Bulgaria on the night of 28–29 October, with all 18 crew rescued but the vessel lost . Earlier incidents involved the Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity, which sank after being struck near Shabla, and the Malta-flagged Chelsea 3, which was damaged in a separate attack . The cumulative pattern has led some NATO members to question whether Russia is testing their resolve, though Moscow has not claimed responsibility.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The surcharge is a direct response to the cost of insuring and operating vessels in a war-risk zone. War-risk premiums for Black Sea transits have risen sharply, and the JWC designation means that underwriters can impose additional conditions, exclusions, or higher deductibles on policies covering the region. By adding a surcharge, CMA CGM is passing a portion of that cost through to cargo owners, rather than absorbing it entirely in its freight rates. The carrier said the military levy is intended to ensure the continuity of sea transportation in a region where passage now carries additional costs .</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">For Indian exporters and importers with Black Sea exposure, the surcharge adds a cost layer to a trade corridor that has already been disrupted by the security crisis. India's trade with Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria includes agricultural commodities, steel products, and machinery, and cargo moving through Constanta or Poti will now face the additional $35–70 per container charge. The surcharge is modest relative to the freight rate increases seen on other routes, but it is a signal that the Black Sea is being treated as a war-risk zone rather than a normal commercial corridor, and that costs will continue to reflect that classification.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">The timing of the surcharge aligns with a broader pattern of carrier risk-management measures. Maersk has restricted bookings for Khorfakkan and Upper Gulf destinations, and carriers have introduced surcharges and routing changes across multiple disrupted corridors in 2026. The Black Sea surcharge is part of the same trend: shipping lines are no longer treating regional security crises as temporary disruptions to be absorbed, but as structural features of the operating environment that must be priced into commercial terms.</span></p><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="">Looking ahead, the durability of the surcharge will depend on whether the security situation in the Black Sea improves or deteriorates further. CMA CGM said it continues to monitor the situation and does not rule out further changes in transportation conditions depending on developments . For Indian shippers, the practical implication is that Black Sea cargo will carry a war-risk premium for the foreseeable future, and that freight quotations for the region should be assessed with that cost explicitly included rather than assumed to be a temporary add-on.</span></p>
CMA CGM Imposes Military Risk Surcharge on Black Sea Cargo from 9 November as JWC Expands War-Risk Zone
CMA CGM has introduced a military risk surcharge of $35 per 20-foot container and $70 per 40-foot container for all cargo to and from Black Sea ports, effective 9 November 2026. The surcharge covers Constanta in Romania, Varna and Burgas in Bulgaria, Poti in Georgia, and other regional ports served by the carrier. For shipments involving the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America, the surcharge takes effect from 1 December 2026. The move follows the Joint War Committee's September decision to include almost the entire Black Sea in its high-risk zone, and repeated drone attacks on merchant ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone since early October.
