Demurrage and detention charges are the ones that can send anyone in shock and is a nightmare for every shipper. You pay demurrage when your container is kept at the terminal for more than the time allotted. It can happen in cases when your container is unloaded for more than a given time. Detention is the charge that is levied on you when you take more than the allotted time to free the container to return it. In this case, the container may be empty or loaded. With each day that you are delaying, you are increasing your charges.