# Demurrage and Detention: The Port Fees That Double a Landed Cost

Source: https://landedcosthq.com/blog/2026-11-15-demurrage-detention-port-fees-landed-cost/

Cross-border operations guide · November 15, 2026


**Short answer:** Demurrage is the charge for a container sitting inside the terminal past its free time. Detention is the charge for an empty container held outside the terminal past its free time. CMA CGM's US import tariff, effective November 10, 2025, gives four free days, then charges demurrage at $285 a day for days five through nine, $345 for days ten through fourteen, and $385 from day fifteen. Detention runs $190 a day for days five through eight, $225 for days nine through twelve, and $250 from day thirteen. The fees double a landed cost when the container sits for two weeks.

## Two charges, two clocks

Demurrage and detention sound like the same charge, and they are not. Demurrage is the charge for a container sitting inside the terminal past its free time. The terminal charges it because the container is taking up space that another container needs. Detention is the charge for an empty container held outside the terminal past its free time. The carrier charges it because the empty container is not back in circulation, and the carrier needs it for the next load.

The distinction matters because the clocks start at different moments and the charges go to different parties. Demurrage starts when the container is available for pickup and runs until it leaves the terminal. Detention starts when the container leaves the terminal and runs until the empty is returned. An importer can pay both on the same container, in the same week, for the same delay, and the two charges together are what double a landed cost.

## The tariff, in numbers

CMA CGM's US import tariff, effective November 10, 2025, is the schedule most importers will meet first. It gives four free days. Demurrage then runs $285 a day for days five through nine, $345 a day for days ten through fourteen, and $385 a day from day fifteen. Detention runs $190 a day for days five through eight, $225 a day for days nine through twelve, and $250 a day from day thirteen. A reefer container gets two free days for demurrage, not four, because a reefer takes up a powered slot.

Do the arithmetic on a two-week delay. Fourteen days past free time on demurrage alone is five days at $285, five days at $345, and four days at $385, which is $4,690, and detention on the same container adds more. That is the charge on one container, for one delay, and it is the charge that turns a profitable shipment into a loss. The fees are per container, per day, and they do not stop while you argue about them.

## How to keep the clock from running

The clock is beaten by planning, not by arguing. Book the drayage before the vessel arrives, not after it berths. Confirm the chassis is available, because a container with no chassis to sit on cannot leave the terminal, and the demurrage clock does not care why it is still there. Clear the customs entry before the vessel arrives, so the container is releasable the moment it is available. And track the free days in the same system that tracks the shipment, with an alert on day three, not on day five, because day five is already a charge.

If the delay is the terminal's fault, dispute it, and dispute it with the timestamps: the vessel arrival, the container availability, the gate hours, and the drayage booking. Terminals will waive demurrage when the delay is theirs, and they will not waive it when the importer cannot show the timestamps. Keep the record, because the record is the dispute. For the quote that has to carry these charges, [freight surcharges and the gap between quote and invoice](https://landedcosthq.com/blog/2026-11-14-freight-surcharges-quote-invoice/) covers the fees that appear after the quote, and [returns and the duty you already paid](https://landedcosthq.com/blog/2026-11-14-landed-cost-returns-duty-paid/) explains the cost that follows the container home.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between demurrage and detention?

Demurrage is the charge for a container sitting inside the terminal past its free time. Detention is the charge for an empty container held outside the terminal past its free time. The two charges can apply to the same container in the same week.

### How much is demurrage on a US import?

Under CMA CGM's US import tariff, effective November 10, 2025: four free days, then $285 a day for days five through nine, $345 for days ten through fourteen, and $385 from day fifteen. A reefer gets two free days, not four.

### How much is detention on a US import?

Under the same tariff: $190 a day for days five through eight, $225 for days nine through twelve, and $250 from day thirteen. The free time is four days, and the clock starts when the container leaves the terminal.

### How do I avoid demurrage and detention?

Book drayage before the vessel arrives, confirm the chassis is available, and clear the customs entry before the vessel berths so the container is releasable the moment it is available. Track the free days with an alert on day three, not day five.