Demurrage & Detention: How to Stop Paying Them滞期费与滞箱费：如何不再白交钱

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

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。