Your cargo has arrived at the port, but customs has ordered an inspection, a terminal crane has broken down, or there simply weren't enough trucks to haul everything out on time. For someone new to international trade, this is just an "annoying delay." For a seasoned freight forwarder, it's a ticking time bomb.
Container dwell time isn't just waiting around. It's a cascade of penalties that can easily run two to three times the cost of the ocean freight itself. Shipping lines and port terminals have no qualms about profiting from idle containers — for many of them, demurrage and detention (D&D) charges are among the highest-margin revenue streams in the business.
Let's break it down — no sugarcoating. How does the math behind dwell time actually work? What's the difference between demurrage and detention? And what tools do MyWay and MyContainers use to stop the financial meter before it spins out of control?
Types of Container Dwell Penalties: Demurrage, Detention & Storage
Choose the one that best fits your context. The first option is probably the most natural for a call‑to‑action leading to a link: Demurrage and Detention: The Complete Guide to Container Idle Time Penalties
The single most costly mistake companies make — one that can run into millions — is confusing the terminology. When a dwell-time invoice lands on your desk, you need to know exactly who is charging you and for what.
Demurrage. A penalty charged when a loaded container sits inside the marine terminal for too long.
Who you pay: The shipping line.
The logic: You're occupying yard space, and the carrier is demanding compensation for the inefficient use of its equipment and real estate.
Detention. A penalty charged when you've picked up the container from the port (to your warehouse or factory) but fail to return the empty unit to the carrier's depot within the allotted time.
Who you pay: The shipping line.
The logic: You've taken a revenue-generating asset out of circulation. The line now has nothing to load for its next export voyage.
Storage. A fee for the physical presence of the "box" on the terminal's or rail yard's ground.
Who you pay: The terminal operator (stevedoring company) — not the shipping line!
The logic: You're renting a square meter of asphalt. This is the sneakiest charge of all, because it accrues in parallel with demurrage and escalates with every passing day.
The Free Time Illusion and Progressive Penalty Scales
Shipping lines offer a Free Time allowance — typically 7 to 14 days for pickup and return. But here's the first trap: free time is almost always counted in calendar days. Weekends, public holidays, and days when the terminal shuts down due to a storm all eat away at your complimentary buffer.
Once free time expires, the progressive penalty scale kicks in.
Here's a typical example for a 40' HC container at the port of Vladivostok or Novorossiysk:
Days 1–7: Free.
Days 8–14: $40–$60 per day.
Days 15+: $100–$150 per day.
Factor in terminal storage (which can run $30–$50 per day on its own), and by day 25 of dwell time you'll be paying upwards of $200 a day. Over a month, that adds up to $6,000 — enough to buy a brand-new container.
How We Stop the Meter: The MyContainers Strategy
An experienced freight forwarder doesn't sit around waiting for the carrier to send an invoice. They actively manage the container's location. Here's how we tackle dwell-time costs for our clients:
1. Emergency Transfer to an Off-Dock Depot
The moment your demurrage free time runs out but the cargo still isn't ready for release (for instance, lengthy certification testing is still underway), we can arrange a partner off-dock depot where you can move the container while you sort out your paperwork.
The result: Demurrage and terminal storage charges drop to zero. You pay only a fixed rate — significantly lower than port charges — for storage at our facility until your cargo issues are resolved.
2. Using SOC (Shipper-Owned Containers)
If you ship cargo in your own containers or in units leased from MyContainers (SOC), the shipping line has no grounds to charge you detention or demurrage. You're simply not using their equipment.
The result: You only pay the terminal for physical storage while the container remains at port. The moment you pick it up and move it to your warehouse, the meter stops completely. No penalties for late return of empties — because there's nothing to return.
3. Aggressive Dispute Resolution
Shipping lines often issue D&D invoices automatically. If the delay wasn't your fault — the terminal failed to issue a Delivery Order, a gantry crane broke down, or customs held up the release due to their own error — MyWay's legal and operations teams will collect timestamps, correspondence, and supporting evidence to formally dispute the invoice and secure a waiver (full or partial write-off of the penalty).
*The information on this page does not constitute a public offer.
*MyContainers is a partner of MyWay.