Demurrage and detention are charged daily, escalate in slabs, and are almost never waived. Nearly all of it is avoidable with decisions made before the vessel arrives.
These two charges are frequently confused, and the distinction matters because they are avoided in different ways.
Demurrage is charged by the shipping line for a container that remains inside the port or terminal beyond the agreed free period.
Detention is charged for a container that has left the terminal but has not been returned empty within the allowed time.
A container can accrue both on the same import — demurrage while it waits for clearance, then detention while it waits to be unloaded at your facility and returned.
How free time works
Free time is negotiated as part of the freight contract. Typical allowances:
- Demurrage free time: 3–7 days from container discharge
- Detention free time: 3–14 days from gate-out
Both are usually calendar days, including Sundays and holidays. Charges escalate in slabs — the second week costs materially more per day than the first, and the third more again.
Eleven things that actually reduce the charges
Before the vessel arrives
1. File a prior Bill of Entry. You can file up to thirty days before arrival. Assessment starts earlier, and clearance can complete within the free period rather than after it.
2. Complete product approvals in advance. BIS, FSSAI, WPC and EPR registrations take weeks. A container waiting on a certificate accrues charges the entire time.
3. Reconcile documents on receipt. Invoice against packing list, quantities and descriptions matching. A query costs days.
4. Negotiate free time into the freight rate. Extended free time is often cheaper bought upfront than paid as demurrage later — particularly on lanes where you know clearance will be slow.
While the container is at the port
5. Watch the IGM date, not the ETA. Free time runs from discharge. Vessels arrive late; your free time still starts when the box comes off.
6. Respond to customs queries the same day. Every round trip through ICEGATE is another day of charges.
7. Pre-arrange the transport. Book the trailer against your expected Out of Charge date so the vehicle is available the moment release comes through, not the following morning.
8. Keep line charges paid and current. The Delivery Order will not be released against outstanding dues, and the container sits while accounts sorts it out.
After gate-out
9. Plan the unloading slot. Detention runs while the container waits at your gate for a free bay. Schedule labour and space before the vehicle is dispatched.
10. Return the empty promptly. Confirm the designated empty yard in advance — returning to the wrong depot means the clock keeps running.
11. Consider direct port delivery. For eligible importers, DPD moves the container straight from the terminal to your facility, cutting a full handling stage and the associated dwell time.
If charges have already accrued
Waivers are rare but not impossible. A request has the best chance when:
- The delay was caused by the port, the line or a customs system outage — not by you
- You have documentary evidence of the cause and the dates
- You raise it immediately, not weeks later
- You have volume with the line and an existing relationship
Approach the line in writing with a clear timeline of events. Vague requests after the fact are declined as a matter of routine.
The underlying point
Demurrage is a symptom. The cause is nearly always a decision that was made — or not made — before the cargo arrived. The importers who pay the least are not the ones who negotiate hardest afterwards; they are the ones who file early and clear their product approvals before the container ships.
We track free time expiry on every consignment we handle and plan transport against the clearance date. If demurrage has become a recurring line item, let us look at where the days are going.
