Demurrage and detention charges in East African ports

Q: How many free days does Mombasa port give?

4 days for domestic imports from 2023, as reported, and 15 days for transit cargo.

Last checked: 20 October 2026 · Explainers

Shipping lines charge demurrage and detention for keeping their containers, which a Kenyan court called a post-importation charge separate from freight ¹. Port authorities charge storage under their own tariffs ². At Dar es Salaam the Tanzania Ports Authority gives 5 free days for domestic imports and 15 for transit imports ². Maersk gives 9 days for Kenyan domestic cargo and 38 days for Rwanda transit (provider page) ⁴.

Dar es Salaam port free storage, domestic FCL imports: 5 days ²
Dar es Salaam port free storage, transit FCL imports: 15 days ²
Dar es Salaam storage after free period, 20-foot: US$20 a day, then US$40 a day ²
Mombasa port free storage, domestic imports, 2023: 4 days, as reported ⁶
Mombasa port free storage, transit cargo: Extended from 9 to 15 days ⁷
Mombasa storage beyond free period, 2025 tariff: KSh 9,000 to KSh 15,000 a day, as reported ⁸
Tax status of demurrage in Kenya: Income, subject to withholding tax, High Court 2020 ¹

What the charges are

Shipping lines charge demurrage when a container is kept past its free period. In a 2020 ruling the High Court in Nairobi described demurrage as a post-importation charge distinct from freight, as freight ends at the port of landing ¹. The court held that demurrage paid to shipping lines is income under Kenya's Income Tax Act and that local agents must withhold tax on it. KRA said the tax owed by the shipping lines in the case totalled more than KSh 2 billion ¹.

Maersk applies a single demurrage and detention tariff per calendar day, per container, once free time ends, in both Kenya and Tanzania (provider page) ^3,4. Port storage is a separate charge set in the port authority's tariff ².

Who sets them

Port storage at Dar es Salaam is set in the Tanzania Ports Authority Tariff Book, Sea Ports, January 2026, issued under Government Gazette No. 3 of 2026 ².
Port storage at Mombasa is set in the Kenya Ports Authority Tariff Book 2025 ⁸.
Shipping lines publish their own demurrage and detention free time and rates, as on Maersk's Kenya and Tanzania pages (provider page) ^3,4.
Tanzania's Shipping Business Fees, Charges and Commissions Order, 2021 (GN 181 of 2021) lists a fee of 5% of the amount collected for container demurrage collection by the Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation ⁵.

Official port free time

The Tanzania Ports Authority tariff sets these free periods and daily storage rates for full containers at Dar es Salaam ². Cargo with no documents accepted within 21 days of the vessel breaking bulk can be moved to a customs warehouse or authority depot, with all charges payable at once ².

In Kenya, the Kenya Ports Authority doubled free storage for domestic importers from two days to four in 2023, as reported by Anthony Kitimo ⁶. The same report said charges of US$45 and US$90 that had applied from the seventh day would apply from the 21st day ⁶. The Northern Corridor observatory says free storage for transit cargo was extended from 9 to 15 days ⁷. In October 2025 the Mombasa port manager waived 80% of accrued storage fees on long-stay containers, as reported by Anthony Kitimo in Business Daily ⁹.

Dar es Salaam, January 2026 tariff	Free period	Rate after free period, 20 ft / over 20 ft, per day
Domestic FCL imports ²	5 days ²	US$20 / US$40 for days 6 to 15, then US$40 / US$80 ²
Transit FCL imports ²	15 days ²	US$20 / US$40 for days 16 to 21, then US$40 / US$80 ²
Transit FCL exports ²	21 days ²	US$16 / US$32 ²
Empty containers ²	5 days ²	US$4 / US$8 for days 6 to 15, then US$8 / US$16 ²

Shipping line free time

Maersk's published terms show how free time differs by destination. In Tanzania it gives 14 days for local cargo, 30 days for transit to Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, 40 days for Zambia and 55 days for the DRC. Charges are US$10, US$15 and US$30 a day for a 20-foot dry container as days pass (provider page) ³. In Kenya it gives 9 days for domestic cargo, 28 days for Uganda and 38 days for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the DRC. Charges are US$26, US$46 and US$65 a day for a 20-foot dry container (provider page) ⁴.

Maersk import terms	Local free time	20-foot dry, days 1 to 7 after free time
Tanzania, tariff from 20 March 2020 ³	14 days ³	US$10 a day ³
Kenya, from 8 August 2024 ⁴	9 days ⁴	US$26 a day ⁴

Common questions

What is the difference between demurrage and port storage?

Demurrage is charged by the shipping line for keeping its container past free time ¹. Storage is charged by the port authority under its tariff ².

How many free days does Dar es Salaam port give?

5 days for domestic full container imports and 15 days for transit imports ².

How many free days does Mombasa port give?

4 days for domestic imports from 2023, as reported ⁶, and 15 days for transit cargo ⁷.

Is demurrage taxed in Kenya?

Yes. The High Court held in 2020 that it is income and that local agents must withhold tax ¹.

Who sets demurrage rates?

Each shipping line publishes its own, such as Maersk's Kenya and Tanzania import pages (provider page) ^3,4.

Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email [email protected] with the official link.

Sources

Shipping line container deposits in East Africa
What a shipping line container deposit is, how lines collect and refund it at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, and what regulators have said.
Cargo dwell time at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam
How dwell time is measured at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, the official figures and targets, and how time in port turns into storage charges.
Port charges at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam
Selected published container charges at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, with the date of each tariff and where to read it.
Customs transit bonds in East Africa
What a customs transit bond is, how the COMESA RCTG Carnet and the new EACBond work, what they cost and what happens when a bond is called.