Demurrage vs detention: the free-time clock.
Free days are written on the PO or the carrier's terms. The charges start when nobody is watching.
In short. What free time is, the difference between demurrage and detention, when the clock starts, typical free days, and how importers avoid the charges on ingredient and commodity shipments.
Two clocks
- Demurrage — the container is still inside the port or terminal after the free days from discharge. Charged by the carrier or terminal, per container per day.
- Detention — the container is outside the port (at your warehouse, on a truck) and not yet returned empty after its free days. Charged by the carrier.
Combined free time (“14 days demurrage and detention”) is common on Asian lanes; separate allowances (“7 + 7”) are also common. Both clocks are per container, not per shipment.
When the clock starts
Demurrage free time usually starts at discharge from the vessel, sometimes the day after. It does not wait for customs. An import declaration that takes six days on a 7-day free-time lane leaves one day to truck the box out — which is why Pacifica turns a shipment amber when it is not cleared with four days left.
What it costs
Tariffs escalate: a modest daily rate for the first few days beyond free time, then double or triple. A single 40' container left ten days over on a busy port can cost more than the ocean freight. Because the charge lands weeks later on a forwarder's invoice, it is often paid without anyone connecting it to the order that caused it.
How importers avoid it
- Know the free days per shipment before the vessel arrives — they are on the PO, the booking or the carrier's tariff.
- Have the document set complete before ETA: a missing certificate of origin is the usual reason clearance stalls.
- Pre-arrange import clearance with the broker while the box is on the water.
- Book the truck and the empty return at the same time.
- Record demurrage and detention as a cost line on the order, so the landed cost is honest and the pattern is visible.
Pacifica shows free time per shipment, counts it down from discharge, warns before it runs out, and files the broker's and forwarder's emails under the order so the chain of events is visible if a charge arrives.
Questions
Is free time the same as detention?
No. Free time is the allowance; detention is the charge for keeping the container outside the port beyond it. Demurrage is the charge for leaving it inside the port beyond the allowance.
How many free days is normal?
Commonly 7–14 days demurrage at destination and 7–14 days detention, depending on carrier, lane and negotiation. Large shippers negotiate more.
Does free time include weekends?
Usually yes — calendar days. Check the carrier's tariff; some count working days.
Who pays demurrage under FOB?
Destination demurrage is the importer's regardless of incoterm; the incoterm decides who books, not who is late at destination.
Related
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