Demurrage and detention
Daily charges for keeping a shipping line’s container beyond its free time: demurrage inside the terminal, detention outside it.
Demurrage generally applies while a full container stays at the port or terminal beyond its free days, and detention while the container is outside the terminal until it is returned empty. Definitions and free days vary by line and contract.
In US trades, nine of the largest carriers charged about $8.9 billion in demurrage and detention between 2020 and 2022, according to the Federal Maritime Commission.
Where it goes wrong
Free time quoted on a call differs from the booking, customs holds use up the free days, and nobody owns the clock until the bill arrives.
What Spurby does
Keeps one free-time clock per container from the document that set it, and warns the importer before charges start.
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