🚢 The Time Game: Demurrage vs. Detention
Imagine a busy port, full of enormous ships and towering stacks of containers. Shipping companies give you a set amount of time—often called "free time"—to move your goods without extra charges. But if you take too long, the meter starts running!
⏳ Demurrage: The Port Parking Ticket
The first charge is Demurrage. Think of it like a parking ticket for the port terminal itself.
Where it happens: While your container is inside the port terminal grounds.
Why you get charged: You’ve exceeded the free time the port gave you to pick up the container after it was unloaded from the ship.
The simple rule: The container is taking up valuable space on the port's property, keeping other containers from being moved, so you pay for the delay.
If the container is still waiting for you inside the port gates after your free days are up, you're paying Demurrage.
🚚 Detention: The Rental Overtime Fee
The second charge is Detention. This is like an overtime charge for keeping the shipping company's equipment (the container) away from the port for too long.
Where it happens: While the container is outside the port terminal—usually at your warehouse or a customer's location.
Why you get charged: You’ve kept the container past the free time limit to unload it and return the empty box back to the port terminal.
The simple rule: The shipping line needs their container back to load it onto another ship for another customer. By keeping it too long, you're preventing them from making money with their equipment.
Once you drive that container truck past the "Port Exit" sign and delay its return, you're looking at Detention.
The Key Difference in a Nutshell
| Charge | Where the Container Is | What You're Paying For |
| Demurrage | Inside the port terminal | Using the port's storage space for too long. |
| Detention | Outside the port terminal | Using the shipping line's equipment (the box) for too long. |
Getting your paperwork in order, coordinating your customs agents, and arranging your trucks quickly are the best ways to avoid these costly charges. In the world of global trade, time really is money!
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