Hapag-Lloyd has announced a tariff increase on ocean freight moving from North Europe to South-East India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The new rates take effect for sailings starting 1 December 2026 and will stay in place until the carrier issues further notice. The increase applies to dry container cargo heading to Ennore, Chittagong and Colombo.

What Is Changing

Hapag-Lloyd is raising its base ocean tariff rates on this trade lane, with the size of the increase depending on container type. These are base rates only, meaning they do not include any additional charges that shippers may also face on top of the new figures.

How Much Rates Are Rising

For 20-foot dry containers, the base rate will go up by US$200 across all three destinations. Ennore moves from US$714 to US$914, Chittagong rises from US$1,340 to US$1,540, and Colombo increases from US$640 to US$840.

For 40-foot dry containers, the increase is smaller, at US$100 per container. Ennore's base rate rises from US$793 to US$893, Chittagong goes from US$355 to US$455, and Colombo increases from US$255 to US$355.

Additional Charges Still Apply

Hapag-Lloyd has made clear that these announced figures cover only the base ocean tariff. Shippers should expect further costs on top of these new base rates, including bunker-related surcharges, security surcharges, terminal handling charges, local port fees and any applicable contingency charges. The total landed cost of a shipment will depend on which of these additional charges apply to a given booking and destination.

What This Means for Shippers

For companies moving dry containers from North Europe to Ennore, Chittagong or Colombo, the rate increase means higher ocean freight costs starting with bookings for December sailings. The impact varies by container size and destination: smaller 20-foot boxes see a flat US$200 increase across all three ports, while 40-foot containers face a lighter US$100 rise. Shippers using Chittagong as a destination should note that, even after the increase, the percentage rise on 20-foot containers is smaller relative to the existing base rate compared with Ennore and Colombo, where the increase represents a larger jump from the current rate.

Because the announced rates do not include surcharges and local fees, shippers and freight forwarders should request a full breakdown of all applicable charges before confirming bookings, rather than relying on the base rate alone to estimate total shipping costs. Those with existing contracts or ongoing shipments to these destinations should check with Hapag-Lloyd or their forwarder on how the new rates apply to bookings made before and after 1 December 2026.

There is no indication in the carrier's announcement of how long these rates will remain in effect, since Hapag-Lloyd has stated they apply until further notice. This leaves open the possibility of additional adjustments later, so businesses with regular volumes on this lane may want to monitor for further rate announcements. In the meantime, cargo owners planning shipments to South-East India, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka from North Europe should factor the new base rates into budgeting for December sailings and beyond, while keeping track of how surcharges stack on top of these figures for accurate total cost planning.

Sources: container-news.com