CNC, the intra-Asia container shipping arm of the CMA CGM Group, will switch the fuel price benchmark used for its quarterly Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) from High Sulphur Fuel Oil (HSFO) to Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO), effective October 1, 2026.
The revised benchmark will apply to long-term contracts with a validity of more than three months, with the BAF charged in addition to CNC’s ocean freight rates until further notice.
From October 1, the BAF for dry containers will be $135 for a 20-foot container and $270 for both 40-foot and 40-foot high-cube containers. For reefers, the corresponding charges will be $217 and $434, respectively.
Flat rack, open-top, tank and other special equipment will attract the same BAF as dry containers, at $135 per 20-foot unit and $270 per 40-foot or 40-foot high-cube unit.
CNC had already announced the move to VLSFO as its BAF reference earlier in 2026, with the new benchmark subsequently incorporated into its quarterly surcharge updates. The latest advisory confirms the charges that will apply from October.
The change aligns CNC’s bunker surcharge mechanism more closely with the fuel used by many modern container vessels and provides a revised basis for recovering fluctuations in bunker costs across its intra-Asia services.