Demurrage & Detention: How to Stop Paying Them滞期费与滞箱费：如何不再白交钱
Last reviewed: June 2026 · 6 minute read最后审核：2026年6月 · 约6分钟阅读
Demurrage and detention are the most preventable costs in container shipping — and among the most common. They're not freight charges; they're clock charges, and the clocks start whether or not anyone told you.滞期费和滞箱费是集装箱运输中最可预防的成本——也是最常见的。它们不是运费，而是时钟费用，而且无论是否有人通知您，时钟都会开始计时。
Three different clocks三个不同的时钟
Charge费用
What it's for针对什么
Clock runs while…计时条件
Demurrage滞期费
Container space inside the terminal码头内的集装箱占位
Container sits in the terminal past its free days集装箱在码头停留超过免费天数
Detention滞箱费
Use of the carrier's container使用承运人的集装箱
Container is out with you and not yet returned empty集装箱在您处且空箱未还
Storage仓储费
Terminal or warehouse space码头或仓库空间
Charged by the facility on its own tariff由设施按自身费率收取
Free time is short — commonly only a few working days at the terminal and a handful of days for equipment return, varying by carrier, terminal, and contract. Daily rates escalate in tiers: the second week costs far more per day than the first.免堆期很短——码头通常只有几个工作日，还空箱也只有几天，因承运人、码头和合同而异。日费率阶梯式上涨：第二周的单日费用远高于第一周。
Why it happens at Vancouver specifically为什么温哥华尤其容易发生
Vancouver moved a record 3.8 million TEUs in 2025 through terminals that won't grow capacity until Roberts Bank Terminal 2 opens. Vessel bunching after Pacific storms, rail car supply swings, and CBSA exam queues all eat free days before anyone touches your container. The clock doesn't care whose fault it is.温哥华2025年集装箱吞吐量创纪录达380万TEU，而在Roberts Bank Terminal 2投运之前码头容量不会增长。太平洋风暴后的船舶集中到港、铁路车皮供应波动、CBSA查验排队，都会在任何人碰到您的集装箱之前吃掉免费天数。时钟不管是谁的错。
Six ways to keep the clocks on your side让时钟站在您这边的六个方法
1. Clear before arrival. Pre-arrival CAD filing means the container is releasable the moment it discharges — customs is off the critical path.1. 抵港前清关。抵港前CAD申报意味着集装箱卸船即可放行——海关不再占用关键时间。
2. Book drayage against last free day, not arrival day. Dispatch should be planned backward from the day fees start.2. 按最后免费日而非到港日安排拖运。调度应从开始收费那天倒推规划。
3. Prepull when the schedule is tight. Moving the container to a local yard before free time expires trades a small dray fee for escalating daily charges.3. 时间紧张时预提。在免堆期到期前把集装箱移到本地堆场，用小额拖运费换掉不断上涨的日费。
4. Transload to kill detention. Devanning at a CFS and returning the empty quickly ends the equipment clock entirely.4. 转运消灭滞箱费。在CFS拆箱并尽快还空箱，彻底终止设备计时。
5. Watch holds daily. Exam, carrier, and terminal holds each stall pickup — someone needs to be checking and chasing them every day.5. 每日盯扣留状态。查验、承运人和码头扣留都会阻止提柜——需要有人每天检查和跟进。
6. Dispute with evidence. When the port or carrier caused the delay, fee waivers are often negotiable — but only with dated records of holds and availability.6. 凭证据申诉。当延误由港口或承运人造成时，费用减免往往可以协商——但前提是有带日期的扣留和可提取记录。
This is standing procedure on every container we handle out of Vancouver — free-time clocks tracked from the day of discharge, with prepull and transload options priced before they're needed.这是我们在温哥华处理每个集装箱的标准程序——从卸船当天起跟踪免堆期时限，预提和转运方案在需要之前就已备好报价。
Educational overview only — free time and tariffs are set by carriers and terminals and vary by contract. Check your specific terms or ask our team.仅供学习参考——免堆期和费率由承运人和码头制定，因合同而异。请查阅您的具体条款或咨询我们的团队。
FAQ常见问题
Frequently asked questions常见问题
Who pays demurrage — the shipper or the consignee?滞期费由谁支付——发货人还是收货人？▼
At destination, it's almost always the importer/consignee or whoever controls destination logistics, regardless of who caused the delay — the merchant clause in most bills of lading makes the cargo interests jointly liable. If you buy FOB and control the freight, the invoices come to you or your forwarder. That's one more reason to know your free time before the vessel arrives, not after.在目的港，几乎总是由进口商/收货人或掌控目的地物流的一方承担，无论延误由谁造成——多数提单中的"货方条款"（merchant clause）让各货方当事人承担连带责任。如果您按FOB采购并自行掌控运输，账单就会开给您或您的货代。这也是为什么要在船到之前、而不是之后，就搞清楚自己的免堆期。
Do demurrage charges apply if CBSA holds my container for an exam?如果CBSA因查验扣留我的集装箱，还会产生滞期费吗？▼
Usually yes — the terminal's clock generally keeps running during a customs hold, because the terminal is still storing the box. Waivers or extensions are sometimes negotiable afterward when the delay was clearly outside your control, but only with dated records of the hold and container availability. Budget for exam-related storage as a real risk rather than assuming fault matters.通常会——海关扣留期间，码头的计费时钟一般照常运行，因为码头仍在为您存放这个箱子。当延误明显不在您可控范围之内时，事后有时可以协商减免或延期，但前提是您掌握扣留情况和集装箱可提状态的带日期记录。请把查验相关的堆存费用当作实实在在的风险来预算，不要指望"责任不在我"就能免单。
How many free days do I get at Vancouver terminals?在温哥华的码头我有几天免堆期？▼
There's no single answer — free time is set by carrier and terminal tariffs and by your (or your forwarder's) contract, and it's commonly just a few working days for import rail and truck moves. Check the specific allowance on each arrival notice rather than assuming last shipment's terms apply. Contracted free time negotiated at booking is worth far more than disputing fees later.没有统一答案——免堆期由船公司和码头的费率本以及您（或您货代）的合同约定，进口铁路和卡车提货通常只有短短几个工作日。请以每份到货通知上载明的具体天数为准，不要默认沿用上一票货的条款。订舱时谈定的合同免堆期，远比事后争议费用更值钱。
Is it cheaper to prepull a container than to pay demurrage?预提集装箱（prepull）比支付滞期费更划算吗？▼
Often, yes — a prepull moves the box to a local yard before terminal free time expires, trading a fixed dray-and-storage cost for daily charges that escalate in tiers. The math typically favours prepulling as soon as you know delivery will slip past the last free day. The key is deciding early: a prepull booked after the clock starts saves less.往往是的——预提是在码头免堆期到期之前把箱子拖到本地堆场，用一笔固定的拖运加堆存费用，换掉按天阶梯式上涨的滞期费。一旦确定派送会拖过最后一个免堆日，算下来通常都是预提更划算。关键在于尽早决定：等计费时钟开始走了才安排预提，能省下的就少了。
Can demurrage and detention fees be waived or disputed?滞期费和滞箱费可以申请减免或提出争议吗？▼
Sometimes — carriers and terminals do grant waivers when their own operations caused the delay (vessel bunching, equipment shortages, container not actually available for pickup). Success depends almost entirely on evidence: dated screenshots of holds, availability status, and appointment attempts. Disputes argued from memory rarely go anywhere; disputes argued from a log often do.有时可以——当延误由船公司或码头自身运营造成时（船期扎堆、设备短缺、集装箱实际无法提取），他们确实会给予减免。能否成功几乎完全取决于证据：带日期的扣留截图、可提状态记录、预约提柜的尝试记录。凭记忆去争的申诉很少有结果；凭日志说话的申诉往往有效。
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