Stop overpaying on port storage fees. Compare free days, daily rates, and total overage costs across Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen, Yang Ming, and ZIM — for any route worldwide.
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Demurrage charges have become one of the most unpredictable line items in international shipping. With ongoing disruptions from the Red Sea crisis, Suez Canal diversions, and port congestion across major hubs, containers are spending more time at terminals than at any point in the past decade. For importers who fail to plan ahead, a single shipment can accumulate $1,500 to $5,000 in avoidable demurrage fees.
The challenge is that every carrier publishes different tariffs, offers different free-day allowances, and applies different escalation tiers depending on the trade lane, port, and container type. Manually comparing these across 8 major carriers for a single route can take hours of searching through PDF tariff schedules — assuming you can find them at all.
When your container arrives at the destination port, the carrier grants a set number of free days during which no storage charges apply. This is your window to clear customs, arrange transport, and pick up the container. The number of free days depends on several factors:
Once free time expires, demurrage charges kick in immediately. Most carriers apply a tiered rate structure: the first few days after free time might cost $75 to $150 per day for a standard container, escalating to $200 or more after the first week. Reefer containers face rates 50% to 100% higher because of power costs.
In the United States, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) updated its demurrage and detention rules under the Shipping Act Section 545 interpretive rule. The key principle: demurrage must serve as an incentive for cargo movement, not as a revenue source. Carriers must offer reasonable free time, and charges cannot accrue when delays are outside the shipper's control — such as port closures, customs holds, or terminal equipment failures.
Understanding these rules gives importers leverage to dispute unfair charges. Our calculator helps you identify which carriers offer the most favorable terms under FMC guidelines, so you can make informed routing decisions before the container is even loaded.
The single most effective way to avoid demurrage is to complete customs clearance before the vessel arrives. File your ISF (Importer Security Filing) at least 72 hours before the ship docks, ensure all commercial invoices and packing lists are accurate, and have your customs broker standing by. Our D&D Guide 2026 covers this process step by step.
Demurrage is a charge imposed by the shipping line when a container remains at the port terminal beyond the allotted free days after the vessel has been discharged. It is a daily penalty designed to incentivize importers to pick up their cargo promptly. Demurrage rates vary significantly by carrier, port, and container type, and they typically escalate the longer the container sits idle.
Free days for demurrage vary from 3 to 14 days depending on the carrier, port of discharge, container type, and your service contract. Standard tariff customers generally receive 4 to 7 free days, while contracted shippers may negotiate up to 14 days. Our calculator compares the exact free-day allowances across all 8 carriers for any origin-destination pair.
Demurrage is calculated on a per-container, per-day basis once the free time expires. Most carriers use a tiered rate structure: the first few days after free time might cost $75 to $150 per day, escalating to $200 to $350 per day after a week. The total cost equals the daily rate multiplied by the number of days over the free-time allowance. Some carriers apply a flat rate while others use 3 to 4 escalating tiers.
Demurrage is charged while the full container sits at the port terminal before being picked up. Detention is charged after the container has left the terminal and is in the importer's possession beyond the allowed return period. In simple terms: demurrage covers port storage time, while detention covers the time you hold the container outside the port. Both charges are separate and can stack up quickly.
The most effective strategies include: filing documentation and customs clearance before the vessel arrives, negotiating additional free days in your carrier contract, using our calculator to choose the carrier with the most favorable terms for your route, setting up automated tracking alerts to avoid missed deadlines, and understanding the FMC incentive principle that requires carriers to offer reasonable free time. Our API can programmatically compare all options in real time.