- Content
The Demurrage Playbook
A 5-Day Email Series with Best Practices from the Field
Demurrage costs can feel inevitable—but they’re not.
Most chartering teams lose time, money, and opportunities because they lack the right processes, tools, or insights.
In the end, demurrage management is more than just finance, and companies that incorporate demurrage data as part of commercial decision-making can reduce demurrage costs, and manage twice as many voyages.
In this actionable, 5-day email series we’ll talk about:
- Insights into how to build better contracts using your and your counterparties historical benchmarks.
- How SoF and Post Fixture data can be used to improve operational and financial performance.
- Tips from the experts who face these challenges on a daily basis.
“Your SOFs are a goldmine of information but they rarely get analyzed beyond the demurrage department. SOFs are the most accurate data set on how efficiently a ship gets in and out of port.
As a result, this data can be used to help teams with scheduling, predicting demurrage, benchmarking carriers, tracking surveyor performance, and numerous other port-related operations.”
Matthew Costello
CEO, Voyager Portal
What's Inside
When it comes to demurrage, it’s common for teams to focus only on one specific area, like individual shipments or dispute resolution, rather than understanding the entire process from end to end.
This oversight can lead to fragmented approaches, missed opportunities, and recurring costs.
A frequent key area of improvement is having an understanding of when laytime begins.
Confusion of when it starts is commonly due to a misunderstanding of the “Arrived Ship” concept and its associated conditions.
This can lead to inaccurate calculations that impact your finances and client relationships.
Many analysts have access to – and gather – vast amounts of Statement of Facts (SoF) data but are unable to use it beyond the claim settlement.
This data often sits untouched, despite its potential for improving port operations, scheduling, and contract terms.
Do you treat post-fixtures departments as “dead ends” where data sits without further analysis or utilization?
This wastes valuable insights that could improve efficiency, reduce fuel costs, and even assist with environmental compliance.
Many companies attempt to manage demurrage using spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes.
This approach often results in duplicated efforts, missed details, and a lack of cohesive data—all of which can lead to increased direct and indirect costs.