Demurrage is the charge an ocean carrier bills when a full import container stays inside the terminal beyond its free time. The clock typically starts at vessel discharge and stops when the container is picked up at the gate. It is billed per container per day, often on a rising scale.
Demurrage exists to keep terminals fluid: yard space is scarce, so a box that sits after discharge is charged until someone collects it. Free time is set by the carrier’s tariff or your contract, and the daily rate usually climbs in tiers the longer the container waits.
Demurrage is distinct from detention, which applies after the container leaves the terminal, and from terminal storage, which the terminal itself may bill. Export demurrage also exists when a container enters the terminal too early or misses its vessel.
The discharge event is the trigger to watch. When a tracked container reports discharge at the port of discharge, the free-time clock is usually running, and the gap between discharge and gate-out is where demurrage accrues. TrackingMCP surfaces that gap per container, and the free-time lookup shows published free days by carrier, for example Maersk or MSC.
Free days, daily rates, and billing rules vary by carrier, terminal, port, and contract. Treat this page as orientation and confirm specifics against your own agreement and the applicable tariff before acting on an invoice.
Demurrage is the charge an ocean carrier bills when a full import container stays inside the terminal beyond its free time. The clock typically starts at vessel discharge and stops when the container is picked up at the gate. It is billed per container per day, often on a rising scale.
Usually the party responsible for collecting the container under the bill of lading, in practice the importer or its forwarder. Responsibility can be disputed when the delay was caused by a customs hold, a terminal closure, or the carrier itself; contracts and tariffs decide.
Clear customs before arrival where possible, book drayage against the vessel ETA rather than after discharge, watch the last free day per container, and return to a depot promptly so one delay does not cascade into the next charge.
Look up free time by carrier →
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More in Charges & free time: Detention · Demurrage & detention · Demurrage vs detention vs storage · Free time · Last free day (LFD) · Per diem · Terminal handling charge (THC) · General rate increase (GRI) · Peak season surcharge (PSS) · Bunker adjustment factor (BAF) · Currency adjustment factor (CAF) · War risk surcharge (WRS) · Browse all 106 terms →