On most container quotations the charge appears twice, an origin line and a destination line, each in the local currency of its port, with amounts that vary by port, terminal, and equipment type under tariffs carriers revise on notified effective dates. Carriers code the same charge differently (Maersk bills it as OHC and DHC, Hapag-Lloyd as THO and THD), and OTHC and DTHC circulate as generic shorthand rather than a standard code set. The decision the term drives is allocation: the sales terms determine which party pays which end, and a buyer and seller who never pinned down who pays destination handling will both refuse the invoice. The confusable is demurrage, which is time-based and accrues when a container exceeds its free time at the marine terminal, while a terminal handling charge is move-based, owed for handling the container through the terminal regardless of how long it sits.
Glossary
Terminal Handling Charges (THC)
The charge for handling a container at the port or terminal, billed at both the origin and the destination of a shipment.