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Ask the ocean carrier or freight forwarder for a dated status, the container’s location, the cause of the delay, the next milestone and a revised ETA range. Then compare the available ways forward by end-to-end delivery time and total added cost—not sailing time alone. Before approving a reroute or other change, get the costs and approval authority in writing, check the shipment documents, and alert the people who need to receive or handle the cargo.
What should I do first if my shipment is delayed at port?
Use the booking or container number to contact the party that booked the freight, the forwarder or the ocean carrier. Carrier tracking pages can help identify milestones, but confirm a material schedule change directly with the responsible party. Ask for a written update that states when the information was checked.
- Where is the vessel now, and what route is it taking? Is it waiting, diverted or calling at another port?
- Is the container still on board, or has it been discharged? If it is ashore, is it physically available for pickup?
- What event caused the delay, and what is the next expected milestone?
- What is the revised ETA range to the actual destination—not just the next port? What assumptions does it depend on?
- When will the carrier or forwarder provide the next update?
A single undated estimate is not enough to plan around. Ask when it will be refreshed, and share its source and timestamp with the receiving team.
Can I reroute my container?
Possibly, but options depend on the carrier’s contract, available capacity, cargo, route and customs requirements. Ask the carrier or forwarder to confirm which options it can actually execute. Compare them on the full journey:
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| Option | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Keep the booking and wait | Updated ETA range, likely next milestone, and any port, storage or equipment charges during the wait. |
| Transship | Whether a connection is available, the added handling and freight charges, and the expected end-to-end arrival date. |
| Discharge at another port and move inland | Whether the carrier will deliver there, customs and regulatory feasibility, and the cost and capacity for rail, truck or other inland transport. |
| Cancel and rebook | Whether cancellation is allowed, what charges apply, and whether replacement space is genuinely available. |
| Send urgent replacement cargo by another mode | Whether this is practical for the goods and timing, and the cost of moving replacement cargo alongside the delayed shipment. |
For each available alternative, request an end-to-end time estimate and a written breakdown of incremental freight, storage, terminal, drayage, rail or truck, and broker charges. Include customs feasibility, capacity and cargo-handling risk in the comparison. A shorter sailing leg does not necessarily mean earlier delivery or lower total cost.
A carrier’s bill of lading and tariff may give it options during disruption, but the wording varies. Hapag-Lloyd’s January 2024 bill-of-lading terms, for example, list congestion and other hindrances as circumstances that may lead to alternative routing with additional freight, suspension or storage with costs, or delivery at another place with related charges. That is an example of one carrier’s terms, not a rule for every shipment; check the version incorporated into your booking and bill of lading.
Who pays the extra cost when a route is blocked?
A blocked sea lane or congested port does not, by itself, establish who owes added freight, storage or other charges. The answer may depend on the sale contract, agreed Incoterm—including its named place and version—the carriage contract, tariff and governing law. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) notes that contractual port terms and sale terms can affect risk allocation; do not infer the result from the word “congestion” alone.
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Before authorizing a change, check the bill of lading, booking confirmation, carrier tariff and purchase or sale contract. Look for terms covering route changes, alternate ports, notice, delivery, extra freight, storage, demurrage and detention, claims deadlines and dispute procedures. Have the party authorized under the shipment contract approve the change in writing, and get the expected charges in writing too.
Do not assume that an ordinary delay, missed sale or loss of market value is insured. For high-value or sensitive cargo, contact the insurer or broker promptly if there is actual or threatened physical loss, a temperature excursion or a policy notice deadline. Ask specifically whether the policy covers the event and cost at issue; the policy wording and facts control.
What if the container is available but demurrage or detention is accruing?
Ask the carrier or terminal to confirm in writing when the container is physically available, when free time starts and ends, what pickup appointments are required, the earliest return date for the empty, and where it must be returned. Keep notices and records of unsuccessful pickup or return attempts. Check an invoice against the applicable tariff and law, and challenge any apparent error promptly through the stated process.
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For ocean carriage within the scope of U.S. law, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) explains that a nonconforming demurrage or detention invoice does not permanently eliminate the billed party’s obligation: charges may be reissued on a compliant invoice. Whether that rule applies depends on the statutory definition and the movement. The FMC’s current OSRA implementation materials are the regulator’s starting point for U.S. scope and billing requirements; they do not establish a universal rule for shipments elsewhere.
The FMC’s separate “Addressing Supply Chain Bottlenecks” material discusses availability, free-time clocks, empty returns and earliest return dates, but presents proposals and recommendations. Do not treat every item on that page as a binding requirement.
How should I protect the cargo and downstream schedule?
Tell the receiving warehouse, customs broker, procurement or production team, and buyer what the current ETA range is and who provided it. Reassess inventory cover and any production or launch commitments against that range. Escalate promptly if the goods are perishable, temperature-controlled, regulated or high-value.
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For reefer cargo, ask the carrier or terminal to confirm monitoring information and the power and handling arrangements while the container waits or changes ports. If the shipment may be discharged somewhere other than planned, confirm the customs process and inland transport plan before agreeing to the change.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What do recent disruption figures tell me—and what can’t they tell me?
UNCTAD’s reports describe how diversions and canal restrictions can strain shipping networks. These figures explain why delays can ripple beyond a single vessel; they are historical measurements, not current October 2026 route conditions or an ETA for an individual container.
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|---|---|
| Suez Canal share | UNCTAD’s 2024 report says about 10% of world maritime trade by volume and 22% of containerized trade crossed the canal annually. |
| Panama Canal share | UNCTAD’s 2024 report says around 3% of global maritime trade volume used the canal. |
| Demand effect of Red Sea/Suez diversions | By June 2024, UNCTAD’s 2024 report measured global vessel ton-mile demand as 3% higher and container-ship demand as 12% higher than demand absent rerouting. |
| Canal transits | In UNCTAD’s 2024 overview, transits through each of the Panama and Suez canals were down by more than half by June 2024, relative to separate peaks: December 2021 for Panama and May 2023 for Suez. |
| Port waiting time | UNCTAD’s Review of Maritime Transport 2025, published 24 September 2025, reports that from December 2023 to March 2024 average waiting time rose 23% to 6.4 hours in developed economies and 7% to 10.9 hours in developing economies. |
UNCTAD identifies longer routes, added fuel, crew, chartering and insurance costs, extra emissions, and schedule and network disruption as consequences of rerouting. Their scale varies by lane and period, so historical network figures cannot predict a particular shipment’s extra days or cost.
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What records should I keep?
Keep the original booking and bills of lading; timestamped status messages and revised ETAs; notices of route changes or alternate discharge; written cost estimates and approvals; terminal availability notices; invoices; and records of cargo condition and attempts to collect or return equipment. A dated timeline helps your business, insurer or adviser assess later decisions or a disputed invoice against what actually happened. A delay alone does not prove carrier liability or establish an insurance claim.
Does special cargo have different routing rules?
Some U.S. government-impelled cargo has cargo-preference obligations that do not apply to ordinary commercial shipments. The U.S. Maritime Administration lists 100% U.S.-flag carriage for military cargo and at least 50% for covered civilian-agency and agricultural cargo. If your shipment may fall into one of those categories, verify the applicable program requirements before approving a routing change.
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