Import free time for a 40’ dry container, derived from the carrier’s tariff structure plus the prevailing local rule at each port. Pick a carrier to change the grid.
The clock started too early
Carriers routinely start free time at discharge rather than at the availability or release notification. Every day between the two is carrier-side and comes off the invoice.
No appointment or gate was available
If the terminal offered no slot, or the gate was closed, the dwell was not merchant-caused. Under the US FMC rule the charge must serve an incentive purpose — it cannot if collection was impossible.
Customs, carrier or terminal hold
Inspection dwell, missing release, or a hold placed by the line stops the merchant clock in most filings — but it is almost never credited automatically.
Wrong free time or wrong tier
The port-of-discharge filing, your service contract and the equipment type each change the free days. Applying the wrong one is the single most common billing error we recover.
Double billing of the same dwell
Terminal storage or quay rent and carrier demurrage are separate invoices for the same days at several ports. Paying both is a straight overcharge.
Defective invoice (US imports)
FMC rule 46 CFR 541 requires 13 specific elements on a demurrage invoice. A missing element eliminates the obligation to pay the charge.
Already been billed?
Upload the demurrage invoice and we audit it line by line against the filed tariff and the terminal record, then produce a carrier-ready demand pack. No software to install, NDA before you send anything, and you only pay on money recovered.
What is demurrage?
Demurrage is a charge the ocean carrier bills when a full container stays inside the terminal beyond the free time agreed in the tariff or service contract. It is priced per container per day and is normally tiered, so the daily rate rises the longer the box sits.
How is demurrage calculated?
Count the days from the date the container became available for collection to the date it left the terminal, subtract the contractual free days, then price each remaining day at the tariff tier that covers it and multiply by the number of containers. Some tariffs count free time in working days and exclude weekends and port holidays.
When does the demurrage clock start?
It starts when the container is commercially collectable — the availability or release notification — not on the vessel discharge date. Days between discharge and availability are carrier or terminal side and are not chargeable to the merchant.
How much free time do I get before demurrage starts?
Typically 3 to 7 calendar days on dry import containers, but free time is filed per carrier, per port of discharge and per equipment type. Reefer and special equipment usually get 0 to 3 days. Your service contract overrides the published tariff.
What is the difference between demurrage and detention?
Demurrage runs while the container is inside the terminal. Detention runs while the container is outside the terminal in your possession, between gate-out and the return of the empty. If the box is behind the gate it is demurrage; if it is on the road or at your yard it is detention.
Can demurrage charges be disputed?
Yes. The strongest grounds are: the clock started before the container was actually available, terminal appointments or gate closures made collection impossible, customs or carrier-side holds caused the dwell, the wrong free time or tariff tier was applied, or — for US imports — the invoice is missing the 13 elements required by FMC rule 46 CFR 541, which eliminates the obligation to pay.