IN Brief:
- The New Delhi surcharge for a 20-foot dry container falls from ₹21,000 to ₹12,150.
- For 40-foot dry and high-cube containers, the charge declines from ₹36,400 to ₹18,800.
- The revised tariff applies to the specified import surcharge for New Delhi destination code INNWD, not automatically to every shipping charge.
Maersk has reduced its import dry-port surcharge for specified container shipments destined for New Delhi, India. The revised rates took effect on 16 October 2026 and cover 20-foot dry, 40-foot dry and 40-foot high-cube dry containers under destination code INNWD. The change affects one published tariff component, not the full cost of transporting and clearing a container at the inland destination.
The revised charge for a 20-foot dry container is ₹12,150, down from ₹21,000. That is a reduction of ₹8,850 per container, equivalent to approximately 42.1% of the former surcharge. For both 40-foot dry and 40-foot high-cube units, Maersk has reduced the figure from ₹36,400 to ₹18,800, saving ₹17,600 per container on this particular line item, or approximately 48.4%. All three tariff bands are expressed in Indian rupees.
The tariff table names New Delhi under destination code INNWD and lists all ports of loading, rather than a restricted group of overseas origins. Maersk specifies the same 16 October effective date for regulated and non-regulated countries. Both 40-foot categories receive the same revised amount of ₹18,800; the 20-foot category has its own price. No charge for a specialised container type appears in the notice.
A container bound for an inland facility may move from the overseas loading port to an Indian seaport and then continue by domestic transport before release to the consignee. Several charges can arise along that journey, including ocean freight, terminal handling, inland carriage and customs-related costs. Maersk identifies the revised dry-port surcharge as one component of its pricing; the notice does not state that ocean freight, inland haulage, taxes or every other charge has changed at the same time.
An importer comparing quotations therefore needs to examine how the surcharge appears in the booking and contract. On a 40-foot dry box, ₹17,600 is the reduction in the announced tariff line, not automatically the reduction in an all-inclusive transport invoice. Some contracted rates may already include applicable mandatory surcharges or use different pricing arrangements. Maersk points customers to its inland price look-up service and their contract terms to establish the charge applicable to a specific movement.
Only three dry-container configurations appear in Maersk’s revised table: 20DRY, 40DRY and 40HDRY. It supplies no revised tariffs for refrigerated containers, open-top units, flat racks or other specialised equipment. Although standard and high-cube 40-foot dry containers have different internal heights, both carry the same New Delhi surcharge under this announcement. The published equipment codes and the destination code, rather than a broad description of container shipping to India, define the eligible movements.
Maersk has not attributed the lower New Delhi tariff to reduced rail charges, higher depot productivity, cheaper fuel or additional inland transport capacity. Nor does the advisory announce a new service or shorter transit times. The revised price is verifiable from the table, but the carrier has not supplied enough evidence to identify a particular operating efficiency as its cause. Changes to freight demand or routing after the effective date would likewise require separate volume data.
The company has made separate revisions to dry-port surcharges for other Indian locations during 2026. An August notice concerning Hyderabad, for example, changed the import surcharge for 40-foot dry equipment under a different inland destination code. Other advisories cover different origins, destinations and container configurations. Those notices show that inland tariffs are location-specific; neither the Hyderabad figures nor changes to export charges should be transferred to New Delhi imports.
In July, Maersk also introduced booking for an inland container depot at Hirnoda, Jaipur, illustrating a separate form of network change: adding a destination is different from changing a surcharge at an established one. Route availability, rail arrangements and depot handling requirements can vary between inland locations even when customers use the same carrier. The New Delhi announcement contains no equivalent launch of a new terminal or corridor.
Maersk’s notice identifies 16 October as the effective date but gives no expiry date for the revised New Delhi import surcharge. Importers moving the listed dry-container types must still reconcile the surcharge with their own contracted inland rates and any mandatory charges already included. The carrier has not announced additional rail capacity, shorter transit times or changes to customs handling alongside the price revision. The two percentage reductions therefore apply only to the listed tariff component; their effect on the total cost of an individual shipment depends on its other charges and contractual terms.
