Demurrage, detention and storage: what to confirm before collecting and returning a container
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Published by Jeton Express · JETON EXPRESS SERVICE LIMITED
Before coordinating a container from China, connect each charge to the agreed conditions, location and events defining its period. Use these records to prepare collection and document the return at destination.
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Contact usIdentify each charge and the agreed structure
Ask the provider to identify every charge, what it includes and who invoices it. Confirm the separate or combined arrangement and how storage and additional services relate to it. Keep the terms used in the documents when comparing the quotation with the agreed conditions.
Confirm scope and document version
Connect the confirmation to the specific booking, equipment and collection and return locations. Record the applicable version, confirmed free time and counting basis, including the calendar and time zone. Request Portugal conditions separately rather than extending a Spain example to that shipment.
Link each period to actual events
Ask for the meaning and location of the relevant events. Record each movement’s date, time, issuing party and evidence. Keep port and inland terminal records distinct and identify the closing event required by the conditions agreed for the operation.
Document appointments and changes
Keep the appointment and the evidence of the completed movement. For an extension or depot change request, retain the response confirming acceptance and its conditions. To clarify a difference, gather the agreement, charge and events; amounts and any reduction require a review of the specific operation.
A return appointment is not the return event
Imagine an empty return appointment exists but actual receipt has not yet been recorded. Keep the appointment and obtain evidence of the movement at the agreed location. Compare that event with the event required by the conditions to close the period. Keep the plan, completed movement and any reported obstacle separate. Likewise, the vessel’s expected arrival helps organize the work; it does not replace the confirmed event that starts or ends the applicable period for a charge.
Record the container and its charging period
For each item, record its billing party, booking reference, equipment type, location and conditions version. Add the confirmed free time and the stated calendar, time zone and cutoff rules. Link the start, intermediate movements and closing event to their evidence, with date, time and issuer. Identify storage and other services separately according to the offer. The same record should retain the accepted return depot and any confirmed change, so the invoice can be compared with the agreed scope and actual events.
Depot change or billing discrepancy
If a depot change or period extension is needed, retain the request and the response confirming acceptance, scope and conditions. While the response is outstanding, mark the issue as open. For a billing discrepancy, gather the invoiced item, agreed version and documented events before contacting the issuer. Ask it to clarify the disputed detail or period. A failed appointment or a submitted request alone does not establish a reduction; the review needs the conditions and facts of that shipment.