Low Water Surcharge Manaus 2023

18 September 2023 - Update 02

Referring to current drought in the Amazon region, as per ordinance 158-CFAO of 18/08/2023 of “Capitania Fluvial da Amazônia Ocidental”, the attendance to Manaus port was revised, considering that capacity of vessels was severely reduced.

To ensure safety navigation and maintain regularity, we inform you that Low Water Surcharge, applied to shipments originating from or destined to Manaus, will be revised, starting from:

Effective date for non-FMC: PCD 28/09/2023
Effective date for FMC: PCD 18/10/2023

*PCD = Price Calculation Date.
*For non-FMC, PCD refers to the scheduled departure date of the first water leg at the time of booking confirmation for non-spot bookings.
*For FMC, PCD is last container gate-in date for non-spot bookings.
*For Spot bookings, is the Booking Confirmation date.

Contingency plans will be informed separately.

The LWC (Low Water Surcharge) is an exceptional and temporary charge applicable due to the extraordinary conditions of navigation that will be periodically reviewed and adjusted, if necessary, by virtue of the current situation. It will cease when the sailing conditions return to normal by the time of the price calculation date.

It is worth emphasizing that the application is based on the Price Calculation Date. For imports, there may be shipments arriving at the destination during the drought restriction with no application of LWC (if not effective at PCD), and shipments may arrive after drought restriction with application of LWC (if effective at PCD).

We appreciate your business and look forward to continuing to work with you in the future.

For more information, please contact Maersk´s office in your locality.

31 August 2023 - Update 01

Due to the ongoing drought situation in the Amazon region, we inform you that Low Water Surcharge will be applied to shipments originating from or destined to Manaus starting from PCD September 28th, 2023.

*PCD = Price Calculation Date.
*For non-FMC, PCD refers to the scheduled departure date of the first water leg at the time of booking confirmation for non-spot bookings.
*For FMC, PCD is last container gate-in date for non-spot bookings.
*For Spot bookings, is the Booking Confirmation date.

The LWC (Low Water Surcharge) is an exceptional and temporary charge applicable due to the extraordinary conditions of navigation that will be periodically reviewed and adjusted, if necessary, by virtue of the current situation. It will cease when the sailing conditions return to normal by the time of the price calculation date.

It is worth emphasizing that the application is based on the Price Calculation Date. For imports, there may be shipments arriving at the destination during the drought restriction with no application of LWC (if not effective at PCD), and shipments may arrive after drought restriction with application of LWC (if effective at PCD).

We are closely monitoring the receding water levels in the Amazon region, and the latest soundings conducted by various vessels that have recently navigated the stretch to/from Manaus continue to indicate that the Rio Madeira Estuary has become the most critical area for navigation.

For a clearer understanding of the situation, we have included a graph depicting the Amazon River's depth in Manaus:

Maersk has been addressing the issue of abrupt siltation in the Rio Madeira Estuary to the appropriate authorities through relevant organizations and continues to monitor the river's water levels. In case of any developments, we will inform you through further communications.

We appreciate your business and look forward to continuing to work with you in the future.

For more information, please contact Maersk´s office in your locality.