Pricing & Surcharges
Congestion Surcharge
A charge applied when a port or terminal is congested, covering the carrier's additional costs from vessel waiting time and disrupted schedules.
In depth
When vessels queue for berths, carriers incur fuel, crew, and charter costs while waiting and their schedules unravel across the whole rotation. A congestion surcharge passes that on. It is usually announced per container by port and withdrawn when conditions ease, though the withdrawal is often slower than the introduction. Congestion also affects shippers directly and separately, through longer transit times and through demurrage that accrues when cargo cannot be collected on time.
Key points
- Recovers carrier costs from vessel waiting and schedule disruption
- Announced per container by port, withdrawn when congestion eases
- Separate from demurrage, which the cargo owner pays
- Usually accompanied by longer and less reliable transit times