A practical, day-by-day playbook for calculating and avoiding export demurrage and detention for coffee containers at Tanjung Priok in 2026. Includes a worked 20ft example, fumigation timing, weekend/holiday rules, vessel-roll scenarios, and negotiation tips with major carriers.
If you ship coffee from Jakarta, you already know demurrage and detention can erase your margin in a blink. In our experience, two things cause most of the pain at Tanjung Priok: miscounting free time and underestimating fumigation and quarantine schedules. Here’s the exact, practical system we use to plan, calculate, and—in most cases—avoid export D&D for coffee in 2026.
The Tanjung Priok coffee demurrage calculator, in plain English
Think in two clocks.
- Detention: The clock while the empty is in your possession before gate-in laden. It starts when you pick up the empty and stops when the laden container enters the terminal.
- Demurrage: The clock while the laden container sits inside the terminal before loading. It starts at gate-in and ends when the container is loaded on the vessel (or when the carrier stops the clock due to a roll/credit).
Our rule of thumb for 2026 bookings in Jakarta: plan for 5–7 free days detention and 3–5 free days demurrage on export. Carriers vary by contract and season, and they’re still tweaking 2025–2026 tariffs. Always confirm your exact free-time matrix on the carrier tariff page when you book (Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM each publish Jakarta/Tanjung Priok export D&D).
Do weekends and public holidays count?
Generally yes. Most carriers count calendar days for both demurrage and detention, including weekends and Indonesian public holidays. A small number may pause the clock for specific terminal-closure holidays, but never assume it. If a holiday coincides with VGM/SI/CY cut-offs, your clock still ticks.
Practical takeaway: Build plans on calendar days. If a holiday helps you, treat it as a bonus, not a guarantee.
How many free days do exporters get in 2026?
Typical ranges we’re seeing for Tanjung Priok coffee exports:
- Detention free time: 5–7 days for 20ft and 40ft dry.
- Demurrage free time: 3–5 days for 20ft and 40ft dry. Premium contracts or volume programs may add 2–5 extra days. Spot bookings tend to be tighter.
A day-by-day timeline for a 20ft green coffee container
This is the action-first plan we hand to export teams. Adjust the days to your actual vessel cut-offs.
Day 0: Booking confirmed
- Lock SI, VGM, and CY cut-offs into your calendar. Ask for an extension now if you’ll need it (e.g., phosphine fumigation or long inland haul).
- Request receiving window dates. Gate-in too early and you risk terminal storage before carrier demurrage even starts.
Day 1: Empty pick-up and pre-stuffing QC
- Collect the empty EIR, check door gaskets, vents, and odor. Coffee absorbs smells.
- If you’re loading sensitive profiles like Arabica Bali Kintamani Grade 1 Green Coffee Beans or Blue Batak Green Coffee Beans, document container condition with photos.
Day 2: Stuffing and weight control
- Stuff and record batch IDs, humidity logs, and net weights. Verify gross weight for VGM. Submit VGM early.
- If you’re moving wine-fermented lots like Bali, Java, Gayo & Mandheling - Wine Green Arabica Coffee Beans, confirm odor-neutral desiccants and clean liners.
Day 3–4: Fumigation and ventilation
- Phosphine fumigation is common: allow 24–48 hours for exposure plus 12–24 hours for ventilation. All of that is detention time if the box is at your facility.
- Coordinate with the fumigator and Balai Karantina for certificates timing.
Day 5: Karantina and docs
- Secure the fumigation certificate and Phytosanitary Certificate. Submit SI final if not already. Cross-check HS codes, net weights, and container number.
Day 6: Gate-in within receiving window
- Truck to Priok and gate-in. Your detention clock stops. Demurrage clock starts once in terminal.
- Confirm the container is “on load list” and not missing VGM/SI.
Day 7–8: Vessel loading
- If loaded as planned, your demurrage stops on loading. If the vessel rolls, demurrage continues unless the carrier applies a grace credit.
Practical takeaway: The two long poles are fumigation and documents. When those slide, both clocks burn.
Worked example: 20ft coffee container in Jakarta
Assumptions (illustrative, not a tariff):
- Free time: 7 days detention, 4 days demurrage.
- Rates: 20ft detention USD 20/day for days 1–7 over free time, then USD 35/day. 20ft demurrage USD 45/day for days 1–4 over free time, then USD 75/day.
- Timeline: Empty pick-up Day 1. Gate-in Day 9 due to a 48-hour fumigation plus a Sunday closure at the fumigator. Vessel loads Day 12 as planned.
Detention calculation
- Detention days used = Day 1 to Day 8 inclusive before gate-in on Day 9 = 8 calendar days.
- Free time = 7 days. Overuse = 1 day.
- Cost = 1 day × USD 20 = USD 20.
Demurrage calculation
- Gate-in Day 9. Free demurrage days = Days 9–12 loading window offers 4 free days. The container loads Day 12. Overuse = 0 days.
- Cost = USD 0.
Total D&D = USD 20.
Now change one thing: Vessel rolls by three days and loads Day 15.
- Demurrage overuse = 3 days beyond free time.
- Cost = 3 × USD 45 = USD 135.
- New total = USD 155.
Three levers that would have reduced this to zero
- Move fumigation forward one day or switch to a 24-hour window fumigator. Gate-in Day 8 and detention overuse disappears.
- Ask carrier for +2 free demurrage days at booking because of coffee fumigation and Karantina coordination. The roll would be absorbed.
- If the roll is carrier-induced, request a full demurrage waiver for roll days. We’ve seen carriers grant 1–3 days when documented.
Need help modeling your exact booking and free-time matrix? You can Contact us on whatsapp and we’ll sanity-check your plan.
Fumigation and quarantine: where detention goes to die
What’s interesting is how many teams treat fumigation as a same-day task. For coffee, it rarely is.
- Plan for 48–72 hours total for phosphine fumigation plus ventilation and paperwork.
- If the destination mandates treatment, get the exact method in writing. Some buyers prefer pre-shipment fumigation; others accept on-arrival. Pre-shipment eats detention.
- Consider stuffing at a facility with on-site fumigation and direct Karantina support. We’ve cut one full day this way for shipments of Musty Cup Green Coffee Beans (Aged Arabica) and Sumatra Mandheling Green Coffee Beans.
Practical takeaway: Book the fumigator before you confirm the trucking. Align their calendar with your free-time clock.
Can you negotiate extra free time with Maersk, MSC, or CMA CGM?
Yes, but do it at booking. Don’t wait for the invoice. We recommend:
- Justify with facts: fumigation window, inland origin, buyer compliance checks.
- Show volume consistency or a firm pipeline. Even one 20ft per month helps.
- Ask for exactly what you need: “+2 detention, +2 demurrage for Jakarta export coffee.”
- Capture it in the booking confirmation. If a carrier gives you a verbal nod, it didn’t happen.
Terminal storage vs export demurrage at Tanjung Priok
Two different animals.
- Terminal storage: Charged by the terminal if you gate-in outside the carrier’s receiving window or if the terminal storage clock differs from the carrier demurrage clock. It’s a terminal fee.
- Export demurrage: Charged by the carrier for using their container while it sits at the terminal.
At Priok, terminal storage is less common on clean, within-window exports, but it does appear if you gate-in very early. Always ask your forwarder for the receiving window. If you must gate-in early, compare terminal storage vs extra detention days.
What if the vessel rolls?
If your box is already in the yard, demurrage keeps counting until loading. Three moves to protect your wallet:
- Request a roll credit in writing as soon as you get the roll notice. Attach the original load list confirmation.
- If the roll is due to missing SI/VGM, demurrage won’t be waived. Submit early.
- If the roll is severe, consider pulling the box out and reworking the schedule. That swaps demurrage for detention plus a lift-out and trucking cost. Run the math.
CY, VGM, and SI cut-offs: why they matter for D&D
Missed documents trigger rolls. Rolls trigger demurrage. Submit SI and VGM at least one working day before the cut-off. We build a zero-excuses checklist: VGM receipt, SI acknowledgment, and load list confirmation before we dispatch the truck.
Who pays on FOB and how to dispute a demurrage invoice
On FOB Jakarta, the seller typically bears origin costs, including export D&D, up to loading on board. Always reflect this in the sales contract. If you do receive a questionable invoice, move fast:
- Collect EIRs, gate-in timestamp, terminal EDI logs, VGM/SI receipts, fumigation and Karantina timestamps, roll notices.
- Build a timeline showing free time, receiving window, and when the clocks started and stopped.
- Send a concise dispute to the carrier or forwarder within their stated window, citing the tariff clause and any roll credits promised in writing.
Three common mistakes we see
- Assuming weekends don’t count. They do.
- Gating in before receiving window to “play safe.” That can trigger terminal storage.
- Booking fumigation last. It should be booked first.
Quick reference: how to calculate total D&D from empty pick-up to gate-in
Use calendar days.
- Count detention days from the day after empty pick-up until the day of gate-in. Compare to your free detention days. Overuse × detention rate = detention cost.
- Count demurrage days from gate-in until loading. Compare to free demurrage days. Overuse × demurrage rate = demurrage cost.
- Add both for total D&D. If there’s a roll, add roll days unless you have a written credit.
If you’re planning multiple 20fts for a program buy of Flores Green Coffee Beans (Grade 1) or Sumatra Lintong Green Coffee Beans (Lintong Grade 1), replicate the math for each box. One late container in a multi-box lot can distort your average landed cost.
We’ve shipped thousands of bags through Priok. The reality is, once you respect the two clocks and sequence fumigation and documents ahead of trucking, D&D becomes predictable. Questions about your next Jakarta booking or need a second set of eyes on your free-time terms? View our products to see the coffees we move most often, and if you’d like a quick pre-shipment check, just Call us.