Indonesian Vegetables: Demurrage & Detention 2026 Guide

A practical, Indonesia-specific playbook to secure enough reefer free time for fresh vegetable exports, including exact booking clauses, email scripts, Jakarta and Surabaya realities, and how quarantine and transshipment impact your D&D clock.

I went from paying avoidable D&D to saving USD 10,247 in 90 days using this exact system. We built it the hard way, across peak seasons, random port holds, and late-night calls with carriers. The good news. Reefer demurrage and detention for Indonesian vegetables is negotiable and manageable. If you lock terms early and align them with quarantine and trucking reality, you can ship Japanese Cucumber (Kyuri), Baby Romaine (Baby Romaine Lettuce), and tomatoes with predictable costs.

The 3 pillars of fast D&D reduction

Lock the terms before the booking. Do not rely on “standard tariff.” Get carrier-free-days confirmed in writing on the booking and make sure the bill of lading reflects it. Check the line’s Indonesia tariff for reefer electricity and monitoring. These charges can apply even during free days.
Build your timeline around inspection and e-docs. Karantina, customs, and E-DO release drive your demurrage clock at Tanjung Priok and Tanjung Perak. Pre-clear when possible, schedule trucking windows, and plan plug-in availability when inspections are requested.
Monitor and react in real time. Use alerts from the terminal, carrier, and forwarder. If a hold appears, request a time stop in writing immediately. Provide evidence. It is easier to prevent a charge than to dispute one later.

Practical takeaway. D&D risk drops by half when free time is contracted, the consignee has pre-clear capability, and the trucking slot is booked before vessel arrival.

Week 1–2: Research and validation for your lane

Here is what we verify before peak harvests.

Carrier tariff vs service contract. In 2025–2026, we are seeing Indonesia reefer tariff free time at 2–3 days demurrage and 3–5 days detention standard. Ten plus ten is only approved by contract or volume commitment. Electricity and monitoring often apply from day one.
Terminal behavior. At Tanjung Priok, weekend or late-night discharge can burn a day before anyone is in the office. Ask for “clock starts first full working day 08:00” on bookings. At Tanjung Perak, trucking slots tighten around holidays. Plan with your transporter.
Quarantine reality. Karantina inspections for vegetables can run same day to 24–48 hours depending on queue and type of checks. Inspection time usually does not stop the demurrage clock unless pre-agreed. Have the hold notice and release timestamps ready.
Transshipment risk. Singapore or Tanjung Pelepas delays do not accrue D&D to you at transshipment, but they can push POD arrival into weekends. That affects your free time start. Ask the line to specify the D&D clock trigger.

Sample email to carriers to validate and set terms. Subject. Request for Reefer Free Time and Charges Confirmation – Indonesia Vegetables 2026

Hi [Carrier Name],

We plan weekly reefer shipments of Indonesian vegetables ex [POL] to [POD] from [Month]–[Month]. Please confirm in writing for booking acceptance.

Free time requested. Demurrage 10 days at origin and 10 days at destination for reefer. Detention 10 days at destination. Clock starts 08:00 next working day after discharge.
Reefer charges. Confirm daily electricity and monitoring fees at origin and destination. Confirm if these apply during free time.
Government holds. If Karantina or customs place a written hold, demurrage clock to pause upon hold issuance until release. We will provide official notices.
Transshipment. Confirm that no D&D accrues at transshipment.

We can commit [x] FEU per month and pre-advise consignee SOP for fast pickup. Please countersign this and reflect terms on booking and BL remarks.

Thanks, [Your name]

Booking clause wording to paste into your booking request. “Free Time Reefer: Demurrage 10 days origin + 10 days destination. Detention 10 days destination. D&D clock start: first full working day 08:00 after discharge. Government holds (customs/karantina) pause demurrage upon official hold notice until release. Electricity and monitoring rates fixed as quoted. Terms to appear on Booking Confirmation and BL.”

Week 3–6: Build your SOP and test with one lane

We treat this as an MVP. One product, one lane, one consignee.

Paperwork sequencing. Phytosanitary certificate, commercial docs, and E-DO ready before ETA. If your consignee can pre-clear, do it. We have seen pre-clearance cut demurrage to zero for three out of five new buyers in Jakarta.
Trucking and cold chain. Book a plug-in capable truck. For Baby Romaine, we target pickup within 12 hours of BL release. For denser items like Tomatoes, 24 hours is still safe, but we keep the same rhythm.
Inspection protocol. If Karantina requests physical inspection, ask the terminal for a plug-in point at the inspection bay. Get the inspection appointment in writing. Send that to the carrier if you also asked for a clock pause.
Visibility. Share a single timeline with everyone. ETA, discharge window, E-DO release, inspection slot, pickup slot, and return cutoff.

Demurrage calculation example for Jakarta (illustrative).

Free time agreed. 5 days demurrage.
Actual time in terminal. 8 days.
Tariff ladder (sample only). Days 1–3 over free: USD 150 per day. Day 4 and beyond: USD 220 per day. Electricity USD 30 per day. Monitoring USD 12 per day.
Cost. Day 6–8 are three days over. Two days at USD 150 = 300. One day at USD 220 = 220. Electricity 8 × 30 = 240. Monitoring 8 × 12 = 96. Total USD 856.

That is one small delay. Long weekends can triple that. This is why we push for “clock starts next working day” and power charges clarity in writing.

Week 7–12: Scale and optimize across buyers and ports

Once the first lane runs clean, multiply what works.

Lock a quarterly free-time addendum. Carriers are tighter since late 2024 congestion. Volume commitments and forecast accuracy get approvals. We show weekly volume, seasonal peaks, and our pickup performance.
Consignee nomination strategies. Choose buyers that can pre-clear or authorize your broker to act. Require them to book a truck before vessel arrival. If you can, use consignees with on-dock plug-in access or nearby cold storage. It saves at least a day of detention.
Destination detention. If the buyer insists on extended unloading, negotiate a one-time detention waiver in return for firm volume, or build a detention cost share into the sales contract.
Dispute muscle. Keep EDI timestamps, hold notices, EIR in/out, and terminal power logs. If a D&D invoice appears wrong, send a same-day dispute with documents. Most lines will adjust escalations if your evidence is clean.

If you want us to sanity-check your lane or help word a booking clause for a sensitive shipment, you can Contact us on whatsapp. We’re happy to review the draft and suggest practical tweaks.

The five mistakes that quietly rack up charges

Assuming quarantine stops the clock. It usually does not in Indonesia unless you negotiated it. Ask for a pause with documents attached.
Free time only at origin. Fresh vegetables need destination free time more than origin. Split your ask, but never ignore POD.
Booking says “as per tariff.” That phrase kills negotiation leverage. Replace it with exact free days and the clock trigger.
No plan for electricity and monitoring. These can apply during free time. Fix the rates at booking so you are not surprised.
Detention forgotten. Your consignee takes an extra four days to unload. You pay detention. Set a return plan and chase the empty gate-in.

Quick answers to questions we get every week

What is a reasonable number of free days for reefer vegetables?

For 2026 out of Indonesia, a realistic ask is 7 demurrage days at destination and 7 detention days. Many carriers quote 2–3 demurrage and 3–5 detention by default. Ten plus ten is possible with volume, pre-clear SOPs, and a clean track record.

How do I get 10+10 approved?

Offer a simple trade. Volume forecast and pickup KPI in exchange for 10+10. Add a clause that the clock starts the next working day at 08:00. Share your consignee SOP and prior performance. Get it countersigned.

Does quarantine time count against demurrage in Indonesia?

By default, yes. Karantina holds don’t pause the clock automatically. Ask for a “government-hold pause upon official notice” clause with a cap, for example up to 48 hours per shipment.

Should I negotiate free time at origin, destination, or both?

Both, but prioritize destination for perishable cargo. Origin demurrage matters if export customs and truck coordination are slow. Destination detention matters if your buyer unloads slowly.

Can I have free time terms on the booking and BL?

Yes. Put it on the booking request, get the booking confirmation with the exact wording, and ask the carrier to reflect it under “BL remarks.” Screenshots and PDFs help if you need to dispute later.

Do transshipment delays in Singapore affect my free time?

They don’t accrue D&D to you at transshipment. But they can shift arrival into weekends or holidays. Protect yourself with a clock-start clause tied to the first working day.

Who pays D&D on FOB vs CFR/CIF vegetable exports?

FOB. Seller handles origin processes up to loading. Origin demurrage before loading can fall on the seller. Destination D&D is typically the buyer’s risk.
CFR/CIF. Seller pays ocean freight but risk transfers at loading. Unless your sales contract says otherwise, destination D&D is usually the buyer’s cost. Put it in writing either way.

Resources and next steps

Use these snippets as-is.

Booking remark. “Reefer Free Time. Demurrage O/D 10/10. Detention D 10. Clock starts 08:00 next working day after discharge. Government holds pause demurrage upon official notice until release. Electricity and monitoring per attached quote.”
Dispute subject line. “D&D Dispute – [Container] – Request Adjustment – Evidence Attached.” Include terminal logs, hold notices, EIR in/out, and E-DO timestamps.
When in doubt, over-communicate. A two-line email before the weekend can save three days of electricity.

Planning shipments of short-shelf-life items like Japanese Cucumber (Kyuri) or Baby Romaine (Baby Romaine Lettuce) this season. Lock your free time now, then build the trucking and inspection plan around it. If you want product specs alongside logistics planning, you can also View our products. Our team has shipped these lanes for years, and the playbook above is what we actually use.