⚠️ Methodological note. This article describes the structure of major carrier tariffs and gives common orders of magnitude in Africa. Exact figures (amounts, free time) vary per contract, per port and are regularly updated. Official tariffs in force are published by each company on its client portal. Always validate with the active freight contract before invoicing.
1. Why tariffs differ so much between carriers
Demurrage is not a regulated mechanism: each carrier sets its own grid. Three main factors explain the differences:
- The container fleet rotation strategy. The tighter a carrier is on container availability, the more its detention tariff will deter to recover empty boxes quickly.
- Commercial position on the area. On certain African ports, a carrier in a dominant position (regular lines, terminal agreement) will apply a firmer tariff. A challenger seeking market share will negotiate more readily.
- The client profile. A major shipper with multi-million USD annual freight does not have the same tariff as an occasional forwarder. Framework contracts almost systematically include negotiated conditions on free time and tiers.
2. Standard structure of a carrier tariff
Whatever the company, the demurrage grid follows a common logic in four dimensions:
Free time
Penalty-free period after container release. In Africa, import free time typically varies from 5 to 14 calendar days per carrier, port and contract. Major-account contracts can reach 21 days. For reefer (refrigerated) containers, free time is often shorter (3 to 7 days).
Progressive tiers
Once free time is exhausted, the rate increases by day brackets. A common structure in Africa:
- Tier 1 (days 1 to 5 after free time): moderate rate
- Tier 2 (days 6 to 10): 1.5× to 2× tier 1
- Tier 3 (days 11 and beyond): 2× to 3× tier 1
Typical orders of magnitude in sub-Saharan Africa for a 20' dry container fall between 30 and 200 USD/day depending on tier, port type and carrier. For a 40' dry, multiply by 1.5× to 2×. For a reefer, multiply by 3× to 5×.
Demurrage vs detention distinction
Tariffs nearly systematically distinguish demurrage (container in port) from detention (container exited, cargo unloaded at client, but container not returned). Tiers and free time can differ for these two regimes — often, detention has a more aggressive tariff because it blocks container rotation.
Combined
Some contracts provide a combined free time (demurrage + detention cumulated), others a separate free time. To verify line by line in the contract.
3. Maersk specifics in Africa
Maersk is the world's largest carrier and operates on all major African ports: Abidjan, Lomé, Cotonou, Lagos, Douala, Pointe-Noire, Matadi, Walvis Bay, Cape Town, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam.
- Maersk publishes its tariffs via its client portal Maersk.com (Local Charges section). Consultation requires a client identifier.
- The group generally applies an enhanced transparency policy on tiers: the grid is clear, changes are communicated 30 to 60 days in advance.
- Major-account contracts regularly negotiate combined free time (demurrage + detention combined) longer than the standard grid.
- The waiver policy in case of force majeure (port strike, health crisis, border closure) is documented and activated by formal client request.
4. MSC specifics in Africa
MSC is the world's second carrier — first in capacity since 2022 — and historically very present in West and Central Africa.
- Tariffs are published on the myMSC portal, by country and by port.
- MSC often applies tighter tier structures than Maersk (more tiers, faster rise), making early detection all the more critical for the forwarder.
- On certain West African ports where MSC dominates (Abidjan, Lomé), standard free time can be shorter than the global average — typically 5 to 7 days.
- The company strictly distinguishes demurrage and detention, with separate tariffs from day 1.
5. CMA CGM specifics in Africa
CMA CGM, the world's third carrier and historically European, is particularly present in francophone Africa and the Maghreb. The group also includes Delmas and CNC subsidiaries on certain African routes.
- Tariffs are published via My CMA CGM, generally with a country view.
- The company is often perceived as more commercially negotiable on demurrage for mid-size players in francophone Africa.
- CMA CGM frequently applies a combined free time on DRC, Angola, Cameroon routes, simplifying calculation but requiring careful identification of the switch moment between demurrage and detention.
- Reefers benefit from particular attention in the grid, with reduced free time but common waivers in case of breakdown or cabotage delay.
6. How to integrate three different tariffs in one software
A forwarder working with multiple carriers simultaneously faces an operational challenge: maintaining three distinct tariff grids, per container type, per port, per client contract, with different validity dates. Doing this in a spreadsheet is a minefield.
The approach we adopted in Surestaria:
- Carrier reference: each carrier has a record with tiers, default free time, supported container types, invoicing currencies.
- Per-client contract override: for each end client, negotiated free time and tiers can be overridden. Calculation automatically applies the most specific override.
- Versioned history: a tariff modified on January 1, 2026, does not rewrite history. Containers arrived in 2025 continue to be calculated on the old grid; new ones follow the new.
- Multi-currency: tariffs in USD, EUR, or local currency, with automatic conversion to client invoicing currency per historized rates.
- Preventive alert: 48 or 72 hours before crossing into penalty, the container rises in the manager's urgent action list.
7. The cost of not mastering these tariffs
For a firm processing 500 containers per year with a Maersk / MSC / CMA CGM mix, the absence of dedicated tooling typically generates:
- 5% to 15% undetected demurrage (so not re-billed to client) — direct revenue loss
- 3% to 8% calculation errors (wrong tier, wrong free time applied) — client dispute exposure
- 10% to 25% containers that could have been pulled out in time if alerted 48h before the penalty — avoidable loss for the end client
These percentages vary by firm — but the range is consistent with what we measure at African forwarders before and after deployment of dedicated tooling. On significant volume, the annual financial impact rarely falls below several tens of thousands of dollars.
Mastering a carrier tariff doesn't mean knowing the numbers by heart. It means having a system that hosts them up to date, applies them automatically to the right file, and alerts before the penalty hits. The declarant's competence is better used negotiating than running calculator math.