Documenting Demurrage Conversations with a Third-Party Berth Chart | Dogwood Hub Field Notes

Demurrage letters cite "port congestion" without berth detail. An independent chart does not replace legal review, but it gives operations teams a dated picture of queue position and hold reasons when opening a conversation with carriers or charterers.

Elements carriers respond to

A ranked queue with vessel names, berth assignment dates, and crane activity notes carries more weight than a generic congestion claim. Hold reason logs tied to weather bulletins or stevedore notices show you did the reading.

Elements charts cannot establish

Charts cannot prove force majeure, nor do they interpret charter-party clauses. We state data sources and gaps explicitly so legal counsel can decide what applies.

Mild reservation from a client perspective

One charter desk told us the chart helped their conversation but the carrier disputed a crane assignment note because the terminal had not published it officially — only AIS inference supported it. We now label inferred versus published data in separate columns.

When to commission the report

Before free days expire, not after. The chart is most useful when both parties still have scheduling options.