# Ocean Freight: Service Disruptions, New FAK Rates, and Congestion in West Africa **Category:** Industry News | **Source:** Drewry Shipping Consultants – Cancelled Sailings Tracker | **Published:** 2026-10-21 | **Updated:** 2026-10-23 **Tags:** Seefracht, Blank Sailing, FAK-Rate, MSC, CMA CGM, Reefer, Tema, Conakry, Freetown, Westafrika, Hafenstau, TEU, FEU, Logistik News, Transport News, Fracht News, Speditions News, Supply Chain News, Zoll News, Frachtportal News, Digitalisierung > 39 departures cancelled until early November. Shipping lines test higher list rates, while West African ports struggle with long waiting times and reefer surcharges. --- Container shipping is facing multiple headwinds. Drewry expects a total of 39 cancelled departures on the major East-West routes between calendar weeks 41 and 45. This time window runs from October 5 to November 8, 2026. Out of 710 planned departures, approximately 5 percent will fall away. Five percent may sound modest at first. However, when a weekly service is cancelled, its cargo is pushed to the next departure. This creates a shortage of slots, containers stack up, and connections are missed. According to Drewry, the transpacific route as well as Asia–North Europe and Asia–Mediterranean routes are particularly affected. In parallel, shipping lines are attempting to drive rates back up. MSC announced a FAK rate of USD 3,150 per TEU and USD 4,500 per 40-foot container for Asia–North Europe starting October 19. FAK stands for "Freight All Kinds," meaning a published base rate for various standard goods. It is not automatically the actual market price. The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index stood at USD 3,378 per 40-foot container on this route on October 2. The new MSC rate is thus approximately USD 1,122 higher. Whether it will hold in the market remains to be seen. West Africa is also presenting challenges. Industry reports cite waiting times of more than ten days in Conakry and Freetown. For Tema, Hapag-Lloyd warned of up to ten days for discharge and loading, while current measurements showed an improvement to less than four days. These three ports should therefore not be lumped together. Reefer containers are becoming additionally expensive. According to The Loadstar, CMA CGM announced a congestion surcharge of USD 400 per TEU for reefers to Tema. A 40-foot reefer with two TEU thus costs USD 800 more. Hapag-Lloyd added an additional USD 250 for reefers to Tema. --- For Asia bookings, confirm not only the price but also the specific departure and alternative departure. Do not confuse FAK list rates with a booked all-in rate. For West Africa, check a minimum buffer of ten days and for reefer offers, clearly list stowage surcharges, electricity costs, and free days. In short: Fewer departures and port congestion give shipping lines pricing pressure, but announced rates are not yet market prices. --- Drewry expects 39 blank sailings from October 5 to November 8, 2026. This is based on 710 scheduled departures on major East-West routes. The cancellation rate is approximately 5 percent; 95 percent are scheduled to operate as planned. MSC announced from October 19 onwards USD 3,150 per TEU and USD 4,500 per 40-foot container to Northern Europe. The SCFI spot rate stood at USD 3,378 per 40-foot container on October 2. Conakry and Freetown reported waiting times of more than ten days. For Tema, Hapag-Lloyd warned of up to ten days, but current measurements were lower. CMA CGM reported according to The Loadstar USD 400 per TEU congestion surcharge for reefer to Tema. For a 40-foot reefer, this corresponds to USD 800 in additional costs. ## Related Entities ### Countries - [China](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/cn) - [Ghana](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/gh) - [Guinea](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/gn) - [Sierra Leone](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/sl) ### Seaports - [Tema (GH TEM)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/tema-port-gh-tem) - [Conakry (GN CKY)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/conakry-port-gn-cky) - [Freetown (SL FNA)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/freetown-port-sl-fna) ### Glossary - [Unloading](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/unloading) - [Congestion surcharge](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/congestion-surcharge) - [Window Slot](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/window-slot) - [Demurrage](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/demurrage-2) - [Detention](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/detention-2) - [Congestion Surcharge](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/congestion-surcharge-2) - [CO2 storage risk](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/co2-storage-risk) - [Spot Rate](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/spot-rate) - [Blank Sailing](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/blank-sailing) - [Rollover](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/rollover) - [Slot](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/slot) - [FAK Rate (Freight All Kinds)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/fak-rate-freight-all-kinds) --- *Canonical URL: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/seefracht-ausfaelle-neue-fak-raten-und-stau-in-westafrika-20261006182339](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/seefracht-ausfaelle-neue-fak-raten-und-stau-in-westafrika-20261006182339)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/seefracht-ausfaelle-neue-fak-raten-und-stau-in-westafrika-20261006182339](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/seefracht-ausfaelle-neue-fak-raten-und-stau-in-westafrika-20261006182339)*