Word of the Day
17 April 2026
demurrage
the detention of a ship or other freight vehicle, during delayed loading or unloading
Why this one
The word comes from a French root meaning to delay, and it is a fee, not a penalty: the charterer agreed to a set number of laytime days, and the clock keeps running past them. The same logic follows containers into inland depots.
In use
Crane went down at midnight and we are still two hatches short, so the owners will be billing demurrage from tomorrow morning.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.