CMA CGM adds $35 war risk surcharge on Black Sea cargo

CMA CGM is adding $35 per twenty-foot equivalent unit to every container moving to or from Black Sea ports from November 9, 2026. The charge covers Constanta in Romania, Varna and Burgas in Bulgaria, and Poti in Georgia.

The Joint War Committee placed the Black Sea on its war risk list on September 16, 2026. That listing lets insurers impose higher war risk premiums. CMA CGM issued a customer advisory on October 28 setting out the new fee: $35 per TEU, or $70 for a standard 40-foot container.

For shippers moving cargo between the Black Sea and the United States, US territories, Australia, New Zealand, or Latin America, the charge starts one month later, on December 1. The delay accommodates regulatory rate filings in those jurisdictions.

Drone attacks drove the change. A French navy frigate shot down a drone near a CMA CGM ship in the Red Sea corridor in October. The container vessel Contship Jet sank on October 29 east of Varna after being struck by three drones.