Shipping with Maersk Spot: Understanding T&Cs and Loading Guarantee

Giving you the most accurate and reliable information about your spot shipment is a Maersk priority. This also includes complete access to all our shipping terms and conditions. We know you may not have the time to read through all of them, so we’ve included our most important T&Cs in this briefer.

Keep reading to understand the terms and conditions involved in your spot shipment booking with Maersk.

Here’s a glance at the essential T&Cs of doing business with Maersk.

1. Rates and charges

When you receive a booking confirmation for your shipment, the prices you see there won't change unless as specified below:

• The rates you're quoted are based on various factors like fees, rules, and exchange rates listed in the company's tariff at the time of your booking.
• Rates may be subject to additional commodity-specific surcharges, current rate fluctuations, or other situational surcharges.
• Any services not covered in your initial agreement may come with extra costs.
• The charges and fees listed don't include taxes like Withholding Tax, Value Added Tax, or similar ones. These are payable separately.

Here are some more clauses related to your shipping charges when booking Maersk Spot:

• Shipping Instructions (SI)

The promised rates are conditional upon uploading Sl in time and as per our guidelines. If you don't send shipping instructions on time or follow the specified method, the company might add extra or different charges.

Any changes you request after booking confirmation depend on available space and Maersk’s approval. Changing things means accepting new charges, if applicable, so we’d advise you to have a buffer in advance.

For example, you are exporting goods from Shanghai Port (China) to New York Port (USA). You had initially booked 1,500kg of freight at USD 1,000. But, later, you amend the freight weight to 1,800kg. In this case, the freight charges can be USD 1,500, i.e., new rates would apply to your booking.

Rates are usually based on the weight of your cargo, as mentioned in your booking request. If the actual cargo weight differs from what you have stated during booking, the rate may change accordingly.

In some cases, if the cargo weight exceeds legal limits in the applicable countries, your booking might get canceled without any liability on Maersk.

If your goods are not loaded and shipped due to some default on your part, we might recalculate the rates and charges for your spot shipment.

In such cases, we’ll try to accommodate you when there's space available on the vessel. If not, your booking could be canceled, and you'll have to empty the container at your own expense within a stipulated time.

2. Equipment

The Booking Confirmation indicates the supply, pick-up, and release of your containers and equipment. This indication doesn't apply:

• In the case of special containers like food/dairy, flexitank, and scrap-grade containers.
• If you pick up equipment from a location different from the ‘Empty container depot’ stated in the Booking confirmation.
• If you pick up equipment on a date earlier than the ‘Equipment release date’ stated in the Booking confirmation.

• Some equipment grades may require additional charges. You can get more details under country-specific local information or contact our relevant regional offices at Maersk to obtain specific details about your country.
• If the equipment pickup or dropoff location you requested differs from the origin/destination mentioned in the booking, additional charges may apply.

3. Demurrage and detention

• The fees for detention, demurrage, freetime, and per diem charges depend on import/export location.
• You can find the specific DND rates for spot bookings here. These rates replace and supersede any separately agreed-upon rates for detention, demurrage, freetime, and per diem.
• All other terms are as per Maersk's standard Terms for Carriage, Detention, and Demurrage.

4. Extending freetime

• You can choose to extend your freetime at the time of booking your spot shipment. This extension adds extra time to your standard freetime allowance and is charged per container per diem.
• If you choose a freetime extension and your booking is confirmed, it applies to all the containers in your shipment.
• You would pay for the freetime extension whether you use it or not (irrespective of consumed days), unless the shipment gets canceled.
• Note that even if the vessel changes on request, the freetime extension still applies.
• But remember, it doesn't apply if you change your shipment's destination. In that case, contact our representative for refunds (if applicable).

5. Commitments and damages

• The two-way commitments and fees apply from booking confirmation.
• You commit to delivering the containerized goods on time and provide any required information or documents (like shipping instructions) before the cut-off time. This is known as ‘Load as Booked’.
• If you uphold your commitment, we'll load the goods as per our

Did you know? Maersk offers a loading guarantee on all our spot bookings. We’ve discussed it at length below!

We understand how some circumstances may arise when shipping freight. We’ve described some common instances and related clauses for the same:

If you cancel your booking, entirely or partly, after getting the Booking confirmation – but seven days or fewer before the departure of the first leg vessel – you will be subject to paying a per-container “Cancellation Fee.”

If you don't deliver part or all of your cargo by the cut-off date or inform us about the cancellation more than seven days before the estimated time of departure (ETD), you must pay a “No-Show Fee” per container.

Changing your booking before the ETD might lead to a price change as per current rates and an “Amendment Fee” per container. After you get an ETD, no changes are allowed to the booking.

We owe you a “Compensation Fee” if all these conditions apply:

• We fail to load your cargo on the first vessel as confirmed as per the loading guarantee (unless goods are loaded but the vessel departs before/after the ETD).
• You've paid your booking in full.
• You’ve met the ‘Load as Booked’ commitments.
• You notify us of the Compensation Fee within 90 days of the default.

You agree and accept that the Compensation Fee is your sole and exclusive remedy if we don’t adhere to our commitments under the agreed Spot terms and conditions.

You don't have to pay fees if you can't deliver due to a “Force Majeure” situation, but you would need to provide evidence for the same.

Force Majeure means any event that is totally out of your or our control. This includes strikes, wars, cyber-attacks, riots, pandemics, government actions, and even natural disasters.

We're not liable to you for failing to load cargo when it's because of:

• A ‘force majeure’ situation.
• ‘Port omission’, i.e., skipping a port for operational reasons beyond our control.
• Your default or breach of the Spot terms, like late or incorrect paperwork, late delivery to the port, or non-compliance with weight limits.

In booking with Store Door (SD) Origin, i.e., where we arrange the first inland leg of the journey (carrier haulage), two things would be applicable:

• The pickup time in the Booking confirmation is a non-binding indication.
• If we or our partners cause delays and you haven’t defaulted on your part (such as non-compliance with waiting/loading time limits), a compensation fee is payable by Maersk to you.

And that wraps up the most crucial terms and conditions you need to understand when booking with Maersk Spot. Now, let’s talk about the loading guarantee by Maersk.

A loading guarantee is a guarantee from our side that we’ll provide space on our vessel after we confirm your booking. In the case of:

When you receive a booking confirmation, we ensure space for your freight on the vessel, i.e., Maersk guarantees that your shipment will be loaded. If the carrier loads onto an alternative vessel, the loading guarantee means your cargo will be loaded up to three days before or after the ETD mentioned in the booking.

• Inland Transportation

In case your shipment involves both land and sea transport, Maersk’s loading guarantee ensures your cargo gets onto the first ocean-bound ship on time. You can count on your freight being delivered inland promptly so that it catches the first available vessel.

Our loading guarantee is a promise and assurance to our customers that their shipment faces minimum delays. You can be sure that your cargo will receive a loading guarantee, whether it is peak season or not.

Spot shipping with Maersk

Maersk conducts business in a manner that’s fair for all and safeguards our customers against any contingencies. While we’ve detailed the most important T&Cs relevant to you, we encourage you to read the detailed terms and conditions.

Check out other important terms related to rollable cargo, cancellations, and booking amendments here.

Enjoy the highest standards of transparency and a seamless spot shipping experience with a reliable logistics partner. Explore Maersk Spot.