TRADE & SHIPPING UPDATE · September 15, 2026
Hormuz traffic stays subdued as Maldives and Durban surcharge dates approach
Tuesday’s buyer briefing focuses on a fresh traffic report and two carrier charge deadlines. The dates below distinguish when information was published from when a charge takes effect. Confirm the terms applicable to your own booking before approving payment or cargo release.
1. Weekend Hormuz counts remain limited
Reuters reported on September 14 that preliminary tracking showed daily commodity-vessel transits through Hormuz in single digits over the weekend, below a ten-day average of 14. The report cautioned that the figures excluded vessels crossing with AIS transponders switched off.
MORENICE analysis: this is a partial count of commodity shipping, not a measure of container-service availability or a complete count of every vessel. It cannot establish whether a particular China–Gulf booking will operate. Ask the carrier to confirm acceptance, the proposed route and the onward leg for the actual consignment.
Reuters, September 14, via MarketScreener: Hormuz traffic data
Keep the carrier’s latest route confirmation with the booking. Record the date, any alternative discharge port, inland transport responsibility and who authorises additional costs if the plan changes.
2. Far East–Maldives: the September 15 rate step is here
CMA CGM’s September 4 notice lists a peak-season surcharge of US$150 per TEU from September 12 and US$450 per TEU from September 15 for all cargo from the Far East to Maldives. For China-origin shipments, it notes that application is subject to its Shanghai Shipping Exchange filing and/or inclusion in ocean freight.
This is an effective-date reminder about an earlier notice. The listed US$450 is the September 15 amount, not an instruction to add both published amounts together. Request confirmation of the date basis used for your shipment and whether the quoted ocean rate already contains this charge.
CMA CGM: Far East–Maldives PSS, notice published September 4
Reconcile the surcharge line with the accepted quotation before paying. If an earlier quote remains valid, ask the provider to explain in writing whether this adjustment changes your agreed total.
3. China–Durban: check the September 17 loading threshold
CMA CGM’s September 10 notice specifies US$100 per TEU for all cargo from China to Durban from September 17, based on loading date, until further notice. Its China-origin filing/inclusion qualification also applies. Other applicable charges may remain outside this PSS.
MORENICE analysis: booking before September 17 does not itself establish that a shipment avoids a loading-date charge. A changed loading date may alter the relevant calculation. Confirm the scope against the actual booking rather than assuming one South Africa notice covers every destination or origin.
MORENICE Buyer Note: connect the freight revision to the purchase order
For each affected order, retain the accepted quote, the carrier notice, its effective-date basis and the revised calculation. Identify who is responsible for the charge under the agreed sale and transport arrangements. An unexplained surcharge screenshot is not enough to approve a revised invoice.
Ask the supplier and forwarder to distinguish production completion, warehouse handover, terminal cut-off and vessel loading. If a date changes, update the order file and customer estimate before releasing cargo. Record any decision to hold, split or reroute the shipment together with its cost and approver.
Today’s companion guide explains how to capture specifications, payment milestones, inspection, delivery and changes in a purchase order. Clear records help the buyer act on a changing shipment without losing track of what was agreed.
MORENICE · YIWU, CHINA. Your buyer-side team in China. Verify. Contract. Control. Deliver.