Got a bill from Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM or another line at JNPT, Mundra, or Chennai? Check in seconds whether you were overbilled — and whether your free days were shorted — against the published tariff.
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An Indian freight forwarder can check a demurrage or detention invoice in under a minute. Enter the carrier, Indian port, container type, the free days the carrier applied, and the billed total — ShippingRates compares it against 26,000+ published D&D tariff slabs across 9 carriers and flags overbilling in rupees, plus any shortfall in free days.
When your container arrives at an Indian port — JNPT (Nhava Sheva), Mundra, or Chennai — the carrier grants a set number of free days during which no demurrage is charged. This window is meant to cover customs clearance, transport arrangement, and container pickup. Standard published tariffs typically allow 3 to 7 free days for imports, but carriers sometimes apply fewer days on an invoice than the tariff allows, especially on short-staffed or high-volume lanes.
If the carrier credits fewer free days than the published tariff specifies, every extra chargeable day inflates your bill. On a 40HC container at a major Indian port, a single shorted free day can mean an extra ₹8,000 to ₹20,000 on the invoice. Catching this discrepancy is exactly what this tool is designed for. See the ShippingRates methodology for how D&D tariff data is validated and kept fail-closed.
Overbilling on demurrage invoices in India typically falls into two categories: applying a higher per-day rate than the published tariff slab, or crediting fewer free days than the carrier's own tariff allows. Both result in a billed total that exceeds the tariff-correct amount. The Invoice Check computes the tariff-correct total using the published slab structure, compares it to the billed figure, and flags the difference. For formal disputes, a Pro+ plan can export a dispute summary referencing the published tariff. Read the full D&D Guide 2026 or use the demurrage calculator to compare charges across carriers before booking.
Enter your carrier, Indian port, container type, the free days the carrier applied, and the billed total into the free ShippingRates Invoice Check. The tool compares your invoice against the carrier's published D&D tariff and flags overbilling in rupees, along with any shortfall in free days that the carrier may have applied.
Free-day allowances vary by carrier, port, container type, and your service contract — typically 3 to 7 standard days for imports at major Indian ports. The tool shows the published allowance for your specific carrier and lane so you can compare it directly to what was billed on your invoice.
Confirm the tariff-correct amount and free-day allowance using the Invoice Check, then gather your bill of lading and gate-in or gate-out dates. Email the carrier the discrepancy with the published tariff as evidence. ShippingRates shows the published tariff comparison you can attach, and a Pro+ plan can export a formatted dispute summary.
Demurrage is charged while the full container sits at the port terminal beyond free time after vessel discharge. Detention is charged after you take the container out of the terminal and hold it beyond the allowed return period. Both charges can run simultaneously and are billed separately by most carriers.
Yes — after signing up, a Pro+ plan can download an itemised dispute-summary spreadsheet showing the tariff-correct charge, the carrier's billed amount, the difference, and the free-day discrepancy, which you can attach directly to your dispute email to the carrier.