Hapag-Lloyd is making road transport for import and export containers more expensive in Morocco. The German shipping company has started charging a 10% fuel surcharge on containers moved by truck. The new charge took effect on 23 July. It covers truck transport to the port before export and from the port after import.
US trade routes are the only exception. The surcharge will start on 23 August because US shipping rules require companies to give 30 days’ notice before adding new charges.
The extra charge applies only when Hapag-Lloyd arranges inland trucking through its Carrier Haulage service. Customers who book their own trucks under Merchant Haulage will not pay the surcharge.
Diesel is one of the biggest costs for trucking companies. Higher fuel prices often lead to higher transport prices, and shipping lines pass those costs on to customers.
Fuel prices have changed sharply this year. Hapag-Lloyd’s first-quarter report shows Brent crude oil reached $118.35 a barrel on 31 March 2026, up 94.5% from $60.85 at the end of 2025. Very low sulfur fuel oil in Rotterdam also rose to $675 a tonne, up 81.5% from $372 three months earlier.
Fuel prices in Morocco have followed global markets since fuel prices were deregulated in 2015. Diesel makes up more than 40% of operating costs for many trucking companies.
Global demand for container shipping remained strong. Container trade grew 7.5% in the first two months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to Container Trades Statistics.
Hapag-Lloyd carried 3.203 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 3.225 million TEU a year earlier. Average freight rates fell from $1,471 to $1,330 per TEU.
The company runs 302 container ships with a total capacity of 2.5 million TEU. It also manages a container fleet of 3.6 million TEU. Its 133 shipping services connect more than 600 ports through 400 offices in 140 countries. The company employs about 15,200 people.
Hapag-Lloyd transported 13.5 million TEU in 2025, up 8% from the previous year. Revenue reached $20.6 billion (€18.3 billion). Average freight rates fell 8% to $1,376 per TEU.
Marine fuel and emissions cost the company €549.6 million in the first quarter of 2026. The average fuel price dropped to $485 a tonne from $553 a year earlier. Fuel consumption fell 3.7% to 1.2 million tonnes. Spending on carbon emission certificates rose to €50.8 million, up from €35.3 million in the first quarter of 2025.
The road fuel surcharge is separate from the fuel charge for ships. It only covers truck transport before or after the sea journey.
