Demurrage
Demurrage is a charge for keeping a container at the port or terminal beyond the free time allowed, before it is collected.
Last reviewed 16 July 2026.
Demurrage is a penalty charge levied by the shipping line or terminal when a full container stays at the port beyond the agreed free days. It compensates the carrier for the container occupying space and being unavailable for reuse. The clock starts when the container is available for collection and runs until you move it out.
Demurrage is often confused with detention: demurrage applies while the container sits inside the terminal, whereas detention applies once you have taken the container away but not returned the empty within the free period. Both accrue daily and escalate the longer the delay.
The usual causes are customs holds, missing or incorrect paperwork, unpaid charges, or simply not arranging haulage in time. They are almost always avoidable with good coordination between your forwarder, broker and hauliers.
How it affects your landed cost
Demurrage is a pure avoidable cost that lands on top of your planned landed cost when clearance or collection goes wrong — and at daily escalating rates it can add up fast on a single container. Building enough buffer and clean paperwork into your import plan keeps it out of your cost per unit. Our calculator helps you model the expected costs so a demurrage surprise stands out as the anomaly it is.
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