When free time runs out, demurrage covers a container that exceeds it at the marine terminal, while detention covers extended use of the equipment outside the terminal. Allowances are not standardized: they differ by carrier, port, direction, equipment type, and contract, and are published in carrier tariff tables. Every import container lands with the countdown already running, so the desk sequences clearance, trucking, and the empty return against it, and decides at booking whether to request extended free time rather than absorb charges later. When a demurrage or detention bill arrives, the desk reconciles the carrier's clock against actual discharge and return events before paying or disputing it.
Glossary
Free Time
The period included in the carriage before demurrage or detention charges begin to accrue on a container.