If you ship to or from Europe, you have probably seen a line on your freight quote that was not there a few years ago. Maersk calls it the Emissions Surcharge (EMS or ESS). Ocean Network Express (ONE) calls it the Europe Environment Surcharge. Hapag-Lloyd and other lines have their own names. On a 40ft container it can now add several hundred dollars to the bill.

This charge is not a port fee, a customs duty or a Nigerian levy. It comes from European climate rules that make shipping lines pay for the carbon their ships burn on voyages to and from Europe. Here is what it is, what carriers are charging this quarter, and what the separate global carbon price being negotiated at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) could mean later.

Where the charge comes from

Two European Union rules sit behind it.

The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Since 2024, shipping companies must buy and surrender EU carbon allowances for the emissions of ships calling at EU ports. The cost was phased in: 40% of emissions for 2024, 70% for 2025 and 100% from 1 January 2026. Voyages inside the EU are covered in full, while voyages between an EU port and a non-EU port, such as Antwerp to Lagos, are covered at 50% of their emissions. Hapag-Lloyd told customers it expected its surcharge to rise by about 45% because of the move to full coverage.

FuelEU Maritime. In force since January 2025, it requires the greenhouse-gas intensity of the energy ships use on EU-related voyages to fall by 2% from 2025 and by 6% from 2030, with deeper cuts later. Cleaner fuels cost more, or ships pay penalties, and carriers pass that cost on too.

Most lines now bundle both costs into one surcharge line. The price of an EU carbon allowance moves every day, so carriers recalculate the charge every quarter.

What carriers are charging in Q4 2026

These are published tariffs for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Your forwarder’s quote may differ by contract, routing and carrier.

Maersk (Emissions Surcharge, Q4 2026), based on an average EU allowance price of €78.97 from mid-May to mid-August:

  • West Africa to Europe: US$160 per 20ft dry, US$319 per 40ft dry, US$239 per 20ft reefer and US$478 per 40ft reefer.
  • Europe to West Africa: US$263 per 20ft dry, US$525 per 40ft dry, US$394 per 20ft reefer and US$787 per 40ft reefer.

ONE (Europe Environment Surcharge, Q4 2026):

  • West Africa to Europe: US$52 per 20ft dry and US$104 per 40ft dry; US$94 and US$188 for reefers.
  • Europe to West Africa: US$103 per 20ft dry and US$206 per 40ft dry; US$196 and US$392 for reefers.

Two things stand out. First, the gap between carriers is wide: on a 40ft dry container from Europe to West Africa, Maersk’s figure is more than double ONE’s. Each line calculates the charge from its own ships, fuel and routing. Second, the southbound leg is dearer than the northbound leg with both carriers, so importers bringing in machinery, vehicles or goods from Europe feel it more than exporters.

Maersk applies its surcharge to bookings where the load port or discharge port is in the EU or European Economic Area. For bookings from mainland China it folds the charge into the base freight rate instead of showing it separately.

What about the UK?

The UK runs its own emissions trading scheme, which began covering shipping in 2026. Carriers are treating it differently. ONE has extended its surcharge to all cargo to and from the UK. Maersk says the UK cost is currently minimal and it has decided not to pass it on to customers. If you ship to Felixstowe, Southampton or London Gateway, ask your forwarder which approach your carrier takes.

The global carbon price: still a draft

Separately, IMO members have been negotiating the IMO Net-Zero Framework, a worldwide fuel standard for ships of 5,000 gross tonnes and above, combined with a price on emissions above set targets. It would cover every major trade lane, including China–Nigeria, not just routes touching Europe.

It is not law yet. The draft was approved in April 2025, but in October 2025 member states voted to adjourn adoption for a year. That year has passed without a vote. According to IMO’s meeting schedule, the resumed session is now set for 4 December 2026, subject to confirmation at the Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting that week. Positions are still divided. The United States and major oil producers pushed for last year’s delay, and the US has signalled it wants the mandatory financial parts removed, according to Hellenic Shipping News.

Even if it is adopted in December, IMO’s amendment procedure means it would take roughly 16 months to enter into force, so no global carbon charge is payable in 2026 or most of 2027. As CargoLinked points out, adoption would not automatically switch off the EU ETS either. The EU would review its rules, but until it changes them, a ship calling at a European port could face both systems.

What this means for Nigerian and West African shippers

  • Exporters to Europe: the surcharge is part of your landed cost in Europe, whoever pays the freight. If you sell CFR or CIF, build it into your price; if your buyer pays freight under FOB, they will factor it into what they offer you.
  • Importers from Europe: expect it on every container, and expect it to change each quarter with the carbon price. Ask for quotes that show it separately so you can compare like with like.
  • Air freight is not affected by these shipping rules. The EU ETS has its own aviation part, but it only covers flights within Europe for now, so it does not add a line to Lagos–Europe air cargo invoices.
  • China–Nigeria cargo does not carry the EU charge unless it is booked through a European port, but it would be covered by any future IMO measure.

Five practical steps

  1. Ask for the emissions line by name. It should say which regulation it recovers, whether the EU ETS, FuelEU or the UK scheme. Question any “IMO carbon” or “global emissions” charge on a 2026 quote; nothing is payable under the IMO framework yet.
  2. Compare carriers, not just base rates. A cheaper base rate can be cancelled out by a higher emissions surcharge, as the gap between Maersk and ONE shows.
  3. Watch the quarterly reset. Carriers publish new figures about a month before each quarter. Book before a known increase where you can.
  4. Put it in your contracts. If you sign longer freight or sales contracts running into 2027 and 2028, state who carries emissions surcharges and how changes are passed on.
  5. Keep it apart from fuel. Budget the emissions surcharge separately from the bunker adjustment factor (BAF). That makes it much easier to see what any future IMO charge adds.

The bottom line

The emissions surcharge is now a permanent part of shipping between West Africa and Europe, and it moves every quarter. A global version may follow, but not before 2028 at the earliest. Knowing what the line is, and asking your forwarder to show it clearly, is the simplest way to keep it from eating into your margin.

Septmax Logistics handles freight forwarding, customs clearance, imports and exports between Nigeria and the rest of the world, including door-to-door shipping from China to Nigeria. If you want a clear, line-by-line quote for your next shipment to or from Europe, call us on +234-707-476-0270 or email logistics@septmax.com. If you can dream it, we can handle it.