Detention

Detention is a fee for situations when a shipping container has been removed from a vessel, taken from the port to a destination such as a warehouse, unloaded, but not returned (either to the port or an empty container depot) within a certain amount of time.

The term “detention” is also used when an empty container is delivered to a warehouse or another storage facility to be filled for export but is not loaded and returned to the port in time. In either scenario, a detention fee is typically charged daily per container.

Detention vs. Demurrage

Detention is similar to demurrage, and the two terms are sometimes confused. Both are per-container and per-day charges. However, demurrage fees occur when a container is not picked up from the port after the allotted free time, while detention fees arise when a container is not returned to the port by an agreed-upon time. It helps to remember that demurrage is essentially a fee for using the port or terminal as storage, while detention can be seen as a rental fee for using a carrier’s container.