Guide to Import Demurrage and Detention Charges

Container transportation is a huge business.

Let me give you couple of statistics related to container carriage to better explain its boundaries.

According to World Shipping Council, 17.8 million containers are in circulation in international sea transportation as of 2008. 

Containers consist of 66% percent of all maritime transportation.

Big size container vessels could carry around 11,000 pcs of 20ft containers.

Finally world busiest seaport Shanghai Seaport handles 33,6 millions of TEU (Twenty-foot equivalent unit) cargo in year 2013.

There is only one way that you can manage so much container traffic at ports of loading and ports of discharge. 

Clearing containers from the port terminals as soon as they have been discharged from the vessels.

Shipping industry has developed some certain rules in order to secure a constant traffic of containers in and out of the sea ports.

Free time, demurrage and detention charges are the most important 3 rules, which can be grouped under these rules.

Today I would like to explain free time and related port charges such as demurrage and detention on this article.