Detention Charges: Definition and Difference from Demurrage

The distinction is purely about location: demurrage is the container sitting inside the port; detention is the container sitting outside the port. Both clock against free-time allowances that typically run 3 to 7 days each, depending on the carrier and contract. Shippers often negotiate combined free time (e.g., 10 days total from discharge to empty return) which is simpler to manage.

In Mexico, detention risk concentrates on two situations: slow unloading at the consignee's facility, and chassis or transport delays returning the empty container. Inland destinations far from the port (Mexico City, the Bajio) eat free days in transit, so the empty-return leg must be planned with the delivery, not after it.

Ask your forwarder for the free-time terms in writing before the shipment sails, and track the container's milestones: discharge date, pickup date, empty return date. Visibility is the entire game.