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Ocean carrier Maersk Line is planning to raise its bunker surcharge for trades from the West Coast of South America to the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent.

Effective April 1, the revised surcharges will be $270 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) and $540 per forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU), up from current levels of $250 and $500, the carrier said in an advisory to the trade.

Maersk said it also plans to implement a surcharge increase on cargo moving from Central America and the Caribbean to the Middle East and South Asia, effective April 1st.

The revised rates will rise to $500 per TEU and $1000 per FEU from current rates of $470 and $940.

Last month the Danish carrier announced that it would be increasing its bunker fuel surcharges for trades between the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent (including Bangladesh), the Red Sea and Europe.

Effective March 1st, the revised surcharges were increased to $150 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) and $300 per forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU), up from $140 and $280 respectively.

A similar increase was introduced on March 1st for cargoes moving from Far East Asia to South Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. The rate was raised from $265 to $295 per TEU and $530 to $590 per FEU.