Procedure for Disputing Demurrage and Detention Charges

Disputes of Detention or Demurrage charges must be formally submitted using the procedure below.

A formal request following this procedure must be submitted within 30 days of the invoice date for the dispute to be considered.

Requests that do not follow the procedure, will not be reviewed, or considered for resolution and/or mitigation.

If a formal dispute request is not received within 30 days of invoice date, the charges are considered valid and payable upon due date.

Great White Fleet Corp will investigate, review, and respond within 30 days of receipt of the formal request.

All formal requests must include the following information:

1.      A copy of the Demurrage or Detention invoice or the invoice number

2.      Bill of lading number

3.      Container number

4.      Reason for dispute (i.e., service failure, contract terms, etc.)

5.      All documents that may pertain to the billing (i.e., email correspondence, government clearances, etc.).

Request will only be accepted from the “Bill To” party. Third party requests will not be accepted.

The point of contact for Demurrage and Detention disputes is Tanya Maddin. Please submit the above information to tmaddin@greatwhitefleet.com.

Definitions

Demurrage: Demurrage occurs inside the carrier’s terminal (i.e., Ocean, Rail, Yard), after free time expires.

Detention: Detention occurs outside of the carrier’s terminal after free time expires and applies when the equipment is within the customers or their assigned agent’s possession, and until the day that the equipment is returned to the carrier.

Combined Detention and Demurrage: Occurs when the carrier has assigned a combination of demurrage and detention free time into one set period and applies after the free time has expired.

Free Time: The assigned period of days under tariff or contract, that the carrier allows before vessel loading and after vessel discharge. Please refer to your contract or carrier’s tariff for Demurrage and Detention days provided.

All Detention and Demurrage charges are consistent with Carriers Tariff Rule 21-A. Carriers tariff can be found at www.descartes.com.