Are these surcharge amounts the exact rates my carrier charges?

No. Surcharges change frequently and vary by carrier, contract, and season. These are indicative ranges to help you budget and sanity-check invoices. Always confirm the live figure on your carrier's tariff or quote before committing.

What is the difference between PSS and PCS?

A peak season surcharge (PSS) applies during high-demand months regardless of port conditions. A port congestion surcharge (PCS) is levied when a specific port has delays, extra anchorage time, or yard backlog. Both are per-container add-ons on top of base freight.

Why do surcharges differ between TEU and FEU?

Most surcharges are quoted per container, and a 40ft (FEU) box is usually charged roughly double a 20ft (TEU) one, mirroring the base freight ratio. Some carriers quote a flat per-container fee that is identical for both sizes, so always check the unit.

Can I dispute a surcharge on an invoice?

You can question a surcharge if it was not disclosed at booking, if the triggering condition no longer applies, or if it exceeds the carrier's published tariff. Having an indicative reference and the carrier's own tariff notice strengthens the dispute.

Do surcharges apply to LCL shipments too?

Yes, but they are usually prorated to your cubic metres or revenue tonnes rather than charged per full container. The consolidator absorbs the per-box surcharge and passes a share to each LCL shipper, so the unit on an LCL invoice is per CBM.

What is the Port Congestion Surcharge Reference?

Browse an embedded reference table of common ocean carrier surcharges — peak season (PSS), congestion (PCS / port congestion), and general rate increases — by major trade lane, with typical per-container amounts and what each charge means. Built for shippers and freight forwarders building budgets. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Port Congestion Surcharge Reference

Name: Port Congestion Surcharge Reference
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Ocean freight invoices rarely stop at the base ocean rate. Carriers layer on a stack of surcharges — peak season, port congestion, bunker adjustment, and general rate increases — that can add a large fraction to the bill. This reference lists the common ones by trade lane so you can budget accurately and spot-check what appears on an invoice.

How it works

Each surcharge is a per-container add-on that the carrier files in its tariff. The total surcharge load on a shipment is simply the sum of the applicable charges, scaled by container count and size:

lane_total = sum(surcharge_per_teu × teu_count + surcharge_per_feu × feu_count)

A 40ft (FEU) container is normally charged about twice the 20ft (TEU) amount, mirroring the base-freight ratio. Pick your lane, enter how many boxes of each size you ship, and the tool sums the indicative surcharges for that corridor.

The main surcharge types explained

Understanding what each charge is supposed to cover helps you challenge it if it appears without justification:

PSS (Peak Season Surcharge): applied during high-volume shipping periods — typically June through October for Asia-North America lanes and September through November for Asia-Europe. It applies regardless of whether any specific port is congested. Carriers file PSS notices at least 30 days in advance, and the amount varies each season.

PCS (Port Congestion Surcharge): levied when a named port has material delays — extended anchorage times, terminal backlogs, or labour actions. Unlike PSS, PCS is tied to conditions at a specific port and should be lifted when those conditions clear. If a carrier continues charging PCS after a port has returned to normal operations, you have grounds to dispute.

BAF (Bunker Adjustment Factor): offsets the carrier’s fuel cost volatility. It fluctuates with oil prices and is quoted per container per lane. BAF is sometimes further split into an ECA (Emissions Control Area) surcharge for voyages through low-sulphur emission zones.

GRI (General Rate Increase): a carrier’s tariff rate increase, usually announced 30 days ahead. GRI is technically part of the ocean rate, not a surcharge, but appears as a line item on some invoices.

Disputing a surcharge

A surcharge that was not disclosed at the time of booking — or whose triggering condition has since cleared — can often be disputed. The strongest dispute includes:

The original booking confirmation showing no surcharge was disclosed.
A carrier tariff notice date after your booking date (proving the charge was not in force when you booked).
For PCS: a port authority statement or public news confirming the congestion event has ended.

Always review the carrier’s published tariff on their website, as that is the binding reference. This tool’s indicative amounts are a budgeting and sanity-check aid, not official carrier tariffs.

Notes and tips

These figures are indicative budgeting ranges, not live carrier tariffs — surcharge amounts shift month to month and differ between carriers and contracts. Confirm the exact figure against your carrier’s published tariff before committing. For LCL shipments, the consolidator prorates the per-box surcharge to your cubic metres, so the unit on your invoice will be per CBM rather than per container.