CONTAINER detention in Australia has drifted a long way from its original purpose. What was once a practical tool to incentivise the timely return of equipment has increasingly become a blunt revenue instrument — imposed even when cargo owners and their service providers have no ability to avoid delay.
For years, Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) and the Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA) have raised concerns — through formal submissions and direct engagement with shipping lines — about detention and demurrage being applied regardless of whether delays are within their control.