Container Detention, Demurrage and Depot Bottlenecks at Chattogram: What the File Tracks
Free time clocks and depot congestion are separate problems that principals often merge too late.
Mail evidence across CPA operating years is dense with free time, delivery order and local charges language. Vessel demurrage and container detention are different instruments, collapsing them in one complaint thread hides the cure. Terminal, depot and feeder cut-offs change; obtain a current local position rather than a generic average.
Track separately
Free time granted and consumed; Delivery order status; Empty return location and evidence; Long-aging units and reason codes; Local charges basis.
Agent role
As appointed NVOCC Agent, CPA follows up local status, empty-return evidence and account reconciliation under written instruction. The principal owns the freight product, equipment strategy and commercial release authority. CPA is not the depot operator and not the carrier.
Vessel demurrage and container detention answer different questions. Mixing them in one escalation thread delays the empty-return action that actually stops the clock.
Long-aging units need a reason code and an owner decision: return, repair, or commercial exception. Silence fills depots.
The close-out should show container number, equipment type, free-time basis, charge period, daily rate basis, relevant event timestamps, disputed days and supporting records. CPA can follow up local release and depot evidence when appointed. The carrier sets its commercial terms, while port or terminal storage may remain payable directly under the applicable local arrangement.
What the Principal Should Receive
If the unit is damage-held, separate survey attendance, repair estimate, approval and completion. The charge file should show who controlled each interval rather than treating the entire period as one unexplained delay.
An empty-return instruction does not close exposure if the nominated depot refuses the unit, changes the receiving window or places the box under damage review. Preserve the return instruction, attempted delivery, rejection reason, photographs, interchange record and revised depot acceptance.
Depot Acceptance Is a Separate Control
Record discharge or availability, delivery-order status, Customs release, gate-out, empty-return instruction, depot acceptance and gate-in empty. These timestamps show whether the delay sat with documentation, cargo release, consignee collection, equipment condition or depot refusal.
The file must distinguish carrier demurrage or detention from port storage, terminal charges and depot costs. The labels, free-time method and start or stop events depend on the applicable carrier terms and local tariff. A generic Bangladesh average is not a safe basis for a live shipment.
Start With the Correct Charge Clock
Identify first which charge is running. Vessel demurrage and container detention are different instruments, and one complaint thread that mixes them delays the empty-return action that stops the clock. Check the free time granted and consumed, the delivery order status and the local charges basis for the units concerned.
Then record the empty return location and evidence, and give each long-aging unit a reason code and an owner decision: return, repair or commercial exception. Obtain a current local position on terminal, depot and feeder cut-offs rather than a generic average.
Building a Voyage Estimate for Bangladesh?
Send the relevant charterparty or MOA, notices, SOF, invoices, claim correspondence, vessel schedule and P&I or insurer contact. CPA can preserve records and coordinate local attendance; legal advice, security and court action remain with appointed counsel and insurers.