Freight quotes sell you an ETA. Ocean reality sells you a distribution: transpacific schedule reliability has lived between 60-70% for years, and Asia-EU isn't better. The quote's number is real — so is the tail risk around it, and that tail is where demurrage invoices, missed Amazon inbound windows and dead marketing calendars live. This page prices the tail so it stops surprising you.
The Three Delay Fees: Demurrage, Detention, Per-Diem
These get used interchangeably in emails. They aren't the same, and knowing which is billing you changes who can waive it:
| Fee | Charged while | Typical 2026 band | Who waives/discounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demurrage | Full container inside the terminal past free time | $75-350/day per box, escalating bands | Terminal/carrier — discount 25-75% on first request with evidence |
| Detention | Container out of port, not returned empty in free days | $50-180/day typical | Carrier — depends on return-trip logistics you control |
| Per-diem | Same shape as detention; some carriers' term | $60-200/day typical | Carrier — same negotiation as detention |
Free-time windows run 3-7 days at major destination ports (14 at the generous end). The insidious part: the window spends itself on paperwork you control — documents in order at discharge means the whole free window works for you; documents in process means the window works against you. The documents checklist's free-time paragraph is this page's front door.
Who Eats a Delay: The Incoterm Map
Vessel slips are carrier problems until the container hits water; after discharge it's your Incoterm that assigns the pain:
| Incoterm | Delay cost sits with | Buyer's lever |
|---|---|---|
| EXW | Buyer, from factory gate onward | Everything — and every delay fee is yours |
| FOB | Buyer at destination (ocean freight + port charges) | Carrier delay claims routed via your forwarder's B/L terms |
| CIF/CIP | Buyer at destination port | Insurance on damage but not on delay; demurrage still yours |
| DDP | Seller until delivery | Inspect delivery terms; seller's delay is your missed calendar anyway |
Note the asymmetry that surprises first-timers: your own slowness (clearance, trucking, warehouse booking) generates demurrage that nobody compensates — the vessel being late is insurable-ish, your Tuesday not being is not. The re-delivery trap compounds it: after ~10 detain days some carriers declare containers lost to auction processes; contest that only with receipts for every day prior.
GRI, PSS and the Mid-Booking Surprise
The post-booking add-on family:
- GRI (General Rate Increase): alliance-announced, effective-dated. If effective before your sail date, expect it on your invoice regardless of when you booked — confirm the assumption at booking.
- PSS (Peak Season Surcharge): seasonal (typically Aug-Oct Pacific, pre-CNY everywhere), $150-400/container on hot lanes; frequently added after booking in hot years.
- Congestion / port devamanning extras: appears when ports clog — the air-freight guide's surge-pricing section is the mirror image in the mode above.
- The negotiation: the quote sheet is your weapon. Forwarders who "forgot" to list PSS at booking absorb it once shown their own exclusion language. Ask for the all-in with surcharge assumptions at booking — the negotiation guide's "named lines" habit works on forwarders too.
The Free-Time Choreography That Prevents Four-Figure Bills
Sequence beats argument. A five-day rhythm that keeps a first container clean:
- Sail day: confirm ETA in writing; calendar the free-window end (ETA + free days) with a 48h warning. Pre-book the drayage/rail slot for the estimated arrival week — destination trucking capacity matters more In peak season than the vessel slot did.
- T-5 days: wire the balance per the payment choreography; documents path decided (telex release vs original set — originals only when leverage or first order).
- Arrival day: customs entry filed; if the broker flags an exam, the free time burns per terminal rules, not per your delay — that's a carrier-side argument worth documenting from hour one.
- Inside window: extract/deliver; confirm the empty return location (distance = detention days); photograph the container condition before unsealing — the damage-claim playbook's five-day clock runs in parallel with the detention one.
- If a slip happens: one negotiation email with the vessel-tracking screenshots attached beats three phone calls; ask for demurrage waiver first, discount second, extended free time third.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between demurrage, detention and per-diem?
Demurrage applies while your loaded container sits past free time inside the port; detention (or per-diem, same idea by carrier terminology) applies after you've extracted it, until the empty returns. Both start from discharge/pickup and escalate in bands ($75-350/day demurrage typical at major ports). Knowing which fee is billing you determines which counterparty can discount it — terminal for demurrage, shipping line for detention.
Who pays for a vessel delay?
The vessel being late carries no automatic compensation — ocean delay risk is unpriced in most buyer conversations. What accrues is demurrage/detention on your container at destination, and the Incoterm assigns those: FOB/CIF buyers pay destination port charges including delay fees; DDP sellers absorb them until delivery. The most expensive delay is self-inflicted (documents or trucking late within the free window), which nobody reimburses.
How much is demurrage per day in 2026?
Bands run $75-350/day per container at major ports (US West Coast and EU North-Continent hubs sit in the upper band; secondary ports lower), escalating in tiers — days 1-4 cheapest, then steeper, with re-delivery fees possible after day 10. A 10-day hold on one 40ft container commonly produces a four-figure bill before the container even ships out.
Can I negotiate demurrage charges down after they accrue?
Routinely yes. Producing carrier-side delay evidence (vessel slip records, congestion notices, customs exam documentation) generates 25-75% discounts on first request at most terminals — the process matters more than the argument: apply before the invoice hits collections. Keep each delay line itemized; merged totals dispute nothing.
What is GRI and does it apply to my booked shipment?
General Rate Increases are alliance-announced mid-cycle rate rises, typically $100-500/container on affected lanes, applied when their effective date precedes your sailing regardless of your booking date. Peak Season Surcharges ($150-400/container, Aug-Oct Pacific, pre-CNY generally) are the more common post-booking surprise. Your forwarder's written surcharge assumptions at booking determine what's negotiable later.
How do I avoid demurrage entirely on my first container?
Four habits: customs documents filed so clearance is ready at arrival, trucking booked before the vessel berths, the exact free-time window known in carrier tariff language, and telex release for trusted repeat orders so paper doesn't hold the box. First-time importers lose money on sequence failures, not on the freight quote itself.
A container sitting in storage billing you?
Send us the vessel and terminal names plus the free-term line from your booking. We'll reply within 24-48h with the waiver-request draft and the negotiation sequence for your port — most first-request discounts land at 25-75%.
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