Peak-Season Surcharges, India–USA: Why Gate-In Dates Matter

India–USA Peak-Season Surcharges:

Why Gate-In Dates Matter

 India–USA Trade Lane  |  September 2026

Maersk has confirmed a fresh round of Peak Season Surcharges (PSS) on the India–USA trade lane, effective September 15, 2026 for East Coast and Gulf ports, and September 21, 2026 for the West Coast. For importers and NVOCCs pricing India-origin cargo this month, the timing is the real story: ocean freight surcharges on this corridor rarely take effect on a single, uniform date, and the gap between dates can change what a container costs by thousands of dollars.

On the East Coast and Gulf, the revised PSS ranges from $6,000 to $9,800 per container depending on origin region and discharge port, with North West India and Nepal-origin cargo moving to Houston carrying the highest levels. Reefer surcharges out of Chennai, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam and other major gateways step down sharply within days of one another, from roughly $6,700, to $5,200, to $2,600, as September progresses. West Coast cargo moves differently: a flat $8,000 applies across both dry and reefer containers from September 21.

That staggered structure is exactly why gate-in date matters more than most shippers assume. Under Maersk's own terms, the applicable rate is tied to the Price Calculation Date, and for FMC-regulated bookings, that date is the last container gate-in date, not the sailing date quoted at the time of booking. Two containers loaded on the same vessel, gated in only days apart, can land on opposite sides of a surcharge step-change, and the difference rarely shows up until the invoice arrives.

It is also why comparing the freight rate in isolation is misleading. Peak season surcharges sit on top of base ocean freight, terminal handling charges, and contingency surcharges, and none of these move in lockstep. A quote that looks competitive on base rate alone can lose its edge once the peak-season layer, priced to the actual gate-in window, is added in.

For importers managing multiple India-origin bookings, the practical takeaway is to plan cutoffs around rate windows, not just sailing schedules, and to evaluate shipments on total landed freight cost rather than headline rates. As peak season surcharges continue shifting through the back half of September, the importers who track gate-in timing, not just quoted transit time, will be the ones who avoid surprise charges on their India–USA shipments.

SOURCES

Maersk, “Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) – Indian Subcontinent & Middle East to US East Coast & Gulf”, Aug 12, 2026.