Why Vessel Turnaround Cost Matters

A container ship costs far more per day at berth than the visible port dues suggest. Crew, cargo handling, maintenance, bunkering and demurrage all accumulate while the vessel sits in port. With the defaults, a 7-day call costs $102,000 — about $14,571 per day. Shaving one day off the turnaround saves roughly that entire daily amount.

Terminal operators use the cost-per-day figure to price calls and justify investment in faster cranes and automated gates. Ship operators use it to negotiate berthing windows and to evaluate which ports are worth the schedule delay.