Demurrage and Incoterms

Is there a link between demurrage and Incoterms..??

Bills of Lading are normally consigned To Order of Shipper since it may be difficult to get the endorsement of the seller because in a lot of cases the seller, exporter and shipper in a shipment maybe different entities.

My answer is on the assumption that the bill is consigned To Order of Shipper and that the shipper and seller are the same and also that the shipper has endorsed the bill to you, making you the receiver of the cargo…

Back to the case, the seller endorsed the cargo to you and sent the original bills of lading late to you. The shipping line promptly charged you for the demurrage because you cleared the cargo late.

From the shipping line’s perspective, they are right in doing so since you are the nominated receiver of this cargo and you cleared the cargo late.

Even though the shipment is under CFR terms according to which the shipper books the cargo with the shipping line, the shipping line may not charge the shipper for demurrage because

1) The contract between the shipping line and the shipper is a “contract of carriage” and not a “sales contract“. CFR and (other Incoterms) are commercial terms used in a sales contract between the seller and buyer.

The Incoterms rules are not part of the contract of carriage, but there is a relationship between the two because depending on the Incoterms rule chosen, the shipper may need to negotiate a specific contract of carriage with the carrier with particular conditions relative to the Incoterms rule chosen.

In regards to this particular case, Point A8 of the Incoterms 2010 guidance notes for CFR says

The seller must, at its own expense, provide the buyer without delay with the usual transport document for the agreed port of destination.

When such a transport document is issued in negotiable form and in several originals, a full set of originals must be presented to the buyer.

2) As per current market practice, the demurrage/detention incurred at the destination port is always charged by the shipping line to the consignee/receiver unless there is a prior arrangement between the shipper, consignee and the shipping line that the shipper will pay for this.

In this case, the issues of delay in dispatch of the documents in contravention of above guidance notes, the reason for the delay and the accrual of costs due to this delay are all issues between the seller and the buyer and it has no bearing on the shipping line’s decision to charge the consignee for the demurrage/detention and/or storage..