The container has arrived, a document is missing and the days go by. When you finally pick it up, two invoices appear that nobody quoted: one from the shipping line and another from the warehouse.
In short: when you import into Chile, two clocks run at the same time. Demurrage (sobreestadía) is charged by the shipping line for every day you keep its container after the free days: Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM and ONE publish 5 free days for dry containers and then between US$85 and US$130 per day in the first tier. Storage is charged by the terminal or the off-dock warehouse (almacén extraportuario): US$100 per container for each extra day in the public 2026 rate sheets of off-dock warehouses in San Antonio. You avoid both by having the documents ready before arrival, the declaration filed in advance and the free days agreed in writing.
What is the difference between demurrage, detention and storage?
| Charge | What it is | Who charges it | When it stops running |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demurrage | Days the full container spends inside the terminal after the free days | Shipping line or its agent | When the container is picked up |
| Detention | Days the container spends outside the terminal | Shipping line or its agent | When the empty container is returned |
| Storage | The cargo's stay and custody at the facility | Terminal or off-dock warehouse | When the cargo is removed from the facility |
In Chile, shipping lines publish the first two as a single counter, which starts on the day the ship is unloaded and ends when the empty container enters the assigned depot. Maersk specifies that it counts calendar days, weekends and holidays included.
Two consequences follow. Taking the cargo out of the port does not stop the shipping line's charge, which runs until the empty container is returned, and the shipping line's free days do not apply to the warehouse either, which has its own rate sheet. The 90-day customs storage period is a legal deadline and does not mean 90 free days, because storage is charged all the same.
How many free days do shipping lines give and how much do they charge afterwards?
These are the published rates for imports into Chile in dry containers, in US dollars per day (20 feet and 40 feet).
| Shipping line | Free days | First tier | Second tier | Final tier | Effective from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maersk | 5 | 110 and 130 (days 6 to 10) | 140 and 160 (days 11 to 21) | 185 and 205 | June 1, 2025 |
| MSC | 5 | 95 and 120 (6 days) | 130 and 145 (12 days) | 160 and 205 | April 1, 2026 |
| Hapag-Lloyd | 5 | 105 and 125 (6 days) | 135 and 155 | No further tier | April 1, 2026 |
| CMA CGM | 5 | 95 and 125 (days 6 to 11) | 125 and 145 (days 12 to 20) | 150 and 200 | January 6, 2025 |
| ONE | 5 | 85 and 115 | 115 and 160 | No further tier | April 1, 2025 |
The rate rises in tiers, so the longer you take, the more each day costs. For refrigerated and special containers, free days drop to 3 or 4 and the first tier ranges from US$170 to US$265 per day, depending on the shipping line and equipment. MSC also publishes a separate, higher table for dangerous goods (IMO). What applies to your shipment is what your booking says, and it may include more or fewer days than the standard.
How much does a 10-day delay cost?
Take a 20-foot dry container at the Maersk rate, the same one used in the landed cost delivered to your warehouse example. You return it empty on day 15, ten days after the free days ended.
- Days 6 to 10: 5 × US$110 = US$550.
- Days 11 to 15: 5 × US$140 = US$700.
- Demurrage: US$1,250. For a 40-foot container it would be US$1,450.
If the container also spent ten extra days in an off-dock warehouse in San Antonio, add US$100 per day according to the public 2026 rate sheet, that is, another US$1,000. The full delay costs US$2,250. In that example, which uses assumptions for the customs broker (agente de aduana) and the truck, local charges, the broker and transport added up to US$1,298, so ten days of delay cost more than all of those charges combined.
The container guarantee
To release the container to you, the shipping line may ask for a guarantee for its return. Maersk publishes a guarantee form and MSC a procedure, but neither publishes a general amount. It is worth distinguishing it from two charges that are published and are not refunded: container administration (US$75 for 20 feet and US$105 for 40, at Maersk and MSC) and the depot gate in (CLP 76,000 plus VAT, according to what Maersk publishes for one of its depots).
Before shipment, ask in writing how much it is, whether it is refundable, what they can deduct from it and how soon they release it.
Why does a pickup get delayed?
A pickup gets delayed because of documents that do not match, a sector permit nobody requested, selection for inspection (aforo, the documentary or physical review carried out by Chilean Customs, Servicio Nacional de Aduanas), no available unloading slot at the warehouse or a port closure due to bad weather. What to do once the delay has started is in cargo held at customs.
Two of those causes need more explanation. On inspection, Customs confirmed in 2025 that the storage charge is suspended on the days directly associated with its inspection, from selection until the result is recorded. You have to ask the warehouse operator to exclude those days, with the Customs record. That suspension does not cover demurrage. As for storm swells (marejadas), Chilean regulations do not provide for suspending demurrage due to port closures or congestion, so it is negotiated case by case with the shipping line, with evidence.
How to avoid it, step by step
| Moment | What to have settled |
|---|---|
| Before booking the freight | Free days and rate per tier, in writing. If they are calendar days, which event starts and ends the count, and what happens if the port closes |
| Before shipment | Product permits (SEC, ISP, SAG, SUBTEL) and documents checked against the invoice |
| Before arrival | Import declaration (declaración de ingreso) filed in advance. Customs accepts it before the cargo arrives, although it can still select it for inspection |
| Before sending the truck | Customs release, BL release, container available and unloading slot confirmed at your warehouse |
| When returning the empty container | Receipt from the depot, with date and time |
| If a charge arrives | Check days, rate and facts against what was agreed before paying |
When comparing freight quotes, add the exposure to delays: a slightly more expensive freight with more free days can end up cheaper than one with the standard 5. That is why it matters who books the transport, as we explain in FOB or CIF. Which permit each product requires is in SEC, ISP, SAG and SUBTEL permits.
What SICE does in this case and where its responsibility ends
SICE coordinates the pieces that prevent delays: before shipment it contacts the supplier and reviews the invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and transport document, and it coordinates customs clearance with a customs broker from its network and domestic transport to your warehouse. The client deals with a single partner. The demurrage rate and free days are set by the shipping line, storage is charged by the terminal or off-dock warehouse according to its rate sheet, and selection for inspection is decided by Customs. SICE cannot eliminate those charges, but it can organize what depends on coordination so that you do not incur them.
Frequently asked questions
Am I charged demurrage if I have already taken the container out of the port?
Yes. The shipping line's counter runs until the empty container enters the depot it designates.
Can a demurrage charge be disputed?
You dispute it with whoever issued it (the shipping line, its agent or your forwarder), asking for the contractual basis and the day-by-day calculation. In Chile there is no maximum rate set by law.
Does anyone oversee what ports charge?
In April 2026, Chile's National Economic Prosecutor's Office (Fiscalía Nacional Económica) asked the Competition Tribunal (Tribunal de Defensa de la Libre Competencia) to eliminate the security fee charged by three terminals in San Antonio and Valparaíso. The request is still pending.
How long do trucks spend at the port?
Puerto Valparaíso reported that, between November 2025 and the first week of February 2026, trucks spent an average of 1.9 hours in its staging area (ZEAL). For San Antonio there is no comparable official 2026 series.
Official sources (in Spanish)
- Maersk: imports in Chile Free days, demurrage and detention rates, gate in and container administration.
- MSC: local information for Chile Import demurrage rate in force since April 2026.
- Hapag-Lloyd: Demurrage / Detention Import Chile The shipping line's 2026 rate.
- Customs: Legal Reports 2025 Reports No. 3 and No. 7 on suspending storage charges during inspections.
- Customs: Compendium of Customs Regulations, Chapter 3 Storage period and advance filing of the declaration.
- Customs: Warehouse operator rates Warehouses' obligation to publish their rates.
Free days are negotiated before shipping. If you want to know with how many free days and at what total cost your cargo would arrive, ask for the free complete quote or write to us on WhatsApp at +56 9 9872 6863.
