Demurrage and Detention Billing Requirements

The Federal Maritime Commission (Commission) is seeking public comment on a proposed rule that requires common carriers and marine terminal operators to include specific minimum information on demurrage and detention invoices and outlines certain billing practices relevant to appropriate timeframes for issuing invoices, disputing charges with the billing party, and resolving such disputes. The proposed rule addresses considerations identified in the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022. The proposed rule would (1) adopt minimum information that common carriers must include in a demurrage or detention invoice that is listed in 46 U.S.C. 41104(d)(2); (2) add to this list additional information that must be included in or with a demurrage or detention invoice; (3) further define prohibited practices by clarifying which parties may be appropriately billed for demurrage or detention charges; and (4) establish billing practices that billing parties must follow when invoicing for demurrage or detention charges.

The latest form for Demurrage and Detention Billing Requirements expires 2027-04-30 and can be found here.