Port costs, also called port charges, are everything a ship pays in port: dues, pilotage, towage, mooring, terminal handling, agency and government fees. Most are calculated on the ship’s gross tonnage, length or cargo volume, and they vary widely from port to port.
This guide explains each port charge, who levies it, how it is calculated and who pays it. It is written for ship operators, chartering staff, agents and maritime students. Tariffs and fees quoted are as of October 2026.
What Are Port Costs?
Port costs are the total charges a ship incurs from arrival to departure. They fall into five groups: port dues, nautical services, cargo charges, agency fees and government fees.
The ship’s agent estimates these costs in advance and settles them on the owner’s or charterer’s behalf.
| Charge | Levied by | Typical basis | Usually paid by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port dues (harbour, tonnage or vessel dues) | Port authority | Gross tonnage (GT), per call or per day | Ship operator |
| Berth hire, dockage or quay dues | Port or terminal | Length overall (LOA) or GT, per day or hour | Ship operator |
| Pilotage | Pilot organisation or authority | GT, draught or LOA, per move | Ship operator |
| Towage | Tug company | Tug size (bollard pull) and number, per job | Ship operator |
| Mooring and line handling | Mooring company | GT or flat rate, per operation | Ship operator |
| Cargo dues and wharfage | Port authority | Per tonne, unit or container | Cargo owner |
| Terminal handling charges (THC) | Terminal operator | Per container or tonne | Carrier, passed to the shipper |
| Agency fee | Ship agent | Flat fee per call, scaled by GT | Ship operator |
| Government and inspection fees | Customs, health, immigration | Per arrival or per service | Ship operator or cargo owner |
The ship operator is whoever carries the port costs under the charter: the owner or the charterer. Cargo charges are usually for the cargo owner’s account, set by the sale contract and the freight terms.
What Is the Difference Between Port Dues and Port Charges?
Port dues are a levy the port authority charges a ship for using the port’s waters, channels and infrastructure. Port charges is the wider term for every cost of the call, including services such as pilotage, towage and berth hire.
Port dues are also called harbour dues, tonnage dues, vessel dues or dock dues, depending on the country. They are normally based on the ship’s gross tonnage, which is why a larger ship pays more for the same call. Gross and net tonnage are measured under the 1969 Tonnage Convention.
What Are Cargo Dues?
Cargo dues are a port authority charge on the cargo itself, not on the ship. They are levied per tonne, per vehicle or per container loaded or discharged. The cargo owner pays them, usually through the shipping line or the forwarder.
What Are Dockage and Wharfage?
Dockage is the US port-tariff charge on a ship for occupying a berth. It is usually set by the ship’s length overall for each 24-hour period alongside.
Wharfage is a charge on cargo passing over the wharf, per ton or per unit. Outside the US the same split appears as berth hire (ship) and cargo dues or quay dues (cargo).
How Are Port Dues Calculated?
Port dues are calculated from the ship’s gross tonnage, the length of stay and the purpose of the call. Some ports also charge by cargo volume. Discounts for cleaner or more efficient ships are now common in Europe and Asia.
- Size: a rate per GT or per 100 GT, sometimes with bands by ship type.
- Time: a charge per call, or per day or 24-hour block alongside or at anchor.
- Purpose: cargo work pays more than a call for bunkers, stores, crew change or repairs.
- Throughput: some ports add a charge per tonne of cargo handled.
- Discounts: environmental scores, frequent-caller schemes and annual or six-month passes.
Singapore Port Dues Example
Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) charges port dues per 100 GT, by length of stay and purpose of call. A ship working cargo pays S$8.00 per 100 GT for one day, rising in steps for longer stays. A ship calling only for bunkers, supplies or crew change pays a lower rate.
The MPA publishes an online port dues calculator on its Digitalport service. This is the “port dues calculator” most operators in the region use for estimates.
Rotterdam Seaport Dues Example
The Port of Rotterdam sets seaport dues by ship size, ship type and the quantity of cargo handled. Its tariffs are fixed for 2025–2027, with general indexation of 3.5% for 2026.
Ships with a high Environmental Ship Index (ESI) score or a Green Award certificate pay lower seaport dues. Rotterdam’s online calculator produces examples like those shown in the images here.
What Are Pilotage Fees?
Pilotage fees pay for a licensed pilot who guides the ship into or out of port, or between berths. They are charged per move, usually based on gross tonnage, draught or length.
Inbound, outbound and shifting moves are billed separately.
A marine pilot brings local knowledge of channels, currents and traffic that the ship’s officers do not have. Pilotage is compulsory for most merchant ships in most commercial ports.
Many pilotage authorities publish fee calculators, such as Maritime Safety Queensland and Canada’s Atlantic Pilotage Authority. Inputs are typically the ship’s GT, length and draught. Calculator results are estimates, not the final invoice.
- Pilot boat or helicopter: transferring the pilot is often billed on top of pilotage.
- Detention and cancellation: a pilot kept waiting or a cancelled booking usually costs extra.
- Exemptions: masters holding a Pilotage Exemption Certificate for the port can avoid the charge.
Pilotage tariffs in many countries are set on a cost-recovery basis. The pilot organisation’s costs are covered by the fees, without profit or cross-subsidy between ports.
What Are Towage Charges?
Towage charges pay for the tugs that assist a ship during berthing, unberthing and shifting. The price depends on the number of tugs, their bollard pull and the time engaged.
Port tariffs often set the minimum number of tugs by ship size.
Tugs control the ship’s speed and turning in confined water, so it can berth safely without heavy use of its own engine. The berthing and unberthing guide describes how the tugs are used alongside the pilot and mooring crew.
Large ships need more tug power. How tugboats move ships many times their size explains bollard pull and why it sets the price.
Are Tugboats Compulsory?
Tug use is compulsory in many ports for ships above a set size, for tankers and gas carriers, and in strong wind or current. The port’s regulations or the harbour master decide the minimum number. Outside those rules, the master and pilot decide how many tugs to order.
What Are Terminal Handling Charges?
Terminal handling charges (THC) cover moving containers between the ship and the terminal stack. The terminal operator bills the shipping line, which passes THC to the shipper or consignee per container. THC is a cargo cost, not a vessel cost.
The charge covers crane moves, yard transport and stacking by stevedores and terminal equipment. It is quoted per 20-foot or 40-foot container, or per TEU. Bulk and breakbulk terminals charge stevedoring per tonne instead.
THC differs from cargo dues. Cargo dues go to the port authority for using the port; THC goes to the terminal operator for handling the box.
What Do Agency Fees Cover?
An agency fee is the ship agent’s own charge for handling the port call. It is usually a flat fee per call, scaled by gross tonnage and agreed before arrival.
Port dues, pilotage and towage are paid on top of the agency fee, from the principal’s advance.
The port agent books the berth, orders pilots and tugs, clears the ship with customs and immigration, and pays local suppliers. Typical extras billed with the agency fee are communication costs, transport and overtime for out-of-hours work.
Before arrival the agent sends a proforma disbursement account (PDA) estimating every port cost. After departure the final disbursement account (FDA) lists the actual invoices against the advance paid.
What Other Fees Can a Ship Pay in Port?
Beyond dues and nautical services, a call can include light dues, waste fees, security charges, anchorage dues and service charges. Which ones apply depends on the country and on what the ship uses during the call.
- Light dues: fund lighthouses and buoys. In the UK, from 1 April 2026, the rate is 46p per net ton, capped at nine voyages a year and 50,000 NT.
- Waste fees: pay for port reception facilities under MARPOL. In the EU every ship pays an indirect fee whether or not it delivers waste.
- Security charges: recover the cost of port facility security under the ISPS Code, per call or per tonne of cargo.
- Anchorage dues: charged per day in some ports for waiting at anchor.
- Services: fresh water, shore power, launch hire, garbage skips and cargo-hold cleaning, billed as used.
Under EU Directive 2019/883, garbage other than cargo residues can be delivered without an extra volume-based fee, up to the ship’s storage capacity. See garbage management on ships for how the ship segregates and records it.
Do Ships Pay Inspection Fees?
Routine port State control inspections are generally not charged to the ship. Costs arise when a ship is detained: in the EU, Directive 2009/16/EC lets the authority recover inspection costs from the owner or operator. Health, quarantine and customs inspections may carry fixed fees per arrival.
What Port Fees Do Ships Pay in the United States?
A foreign-trade ship calling at a US port pays port tariff charges, state pilotage and several federal arrival fees. The federal fees below apply from 1 October 2026 and are adjusted every fiscal year.
- Dockage and wharfage: set in each port’s published tariff, usually dockage per foot of LOA per 24 hours.
- Pilotage: state-regulated for foreign-trade ships, with rates set by state pilot commissions.
- CBP commercial vessel arrival fee: $604.47 per arrival, capped at $8,237.06 per calendar year.
- USDA APHIS agricultural inspection (AQI) fee: $3,059.61 per arrival for ships of 100 net tons or more.
- Tonnage tax: 2 or 6 cents per net ton per entry, depending on the last port, capped at 10 or 30 cents a year.
- Harbor Maintenance Fee: 0.125% of the value of commercial cargo, paid by the importer, not by the ship.
The Harbor Maintenance Fee has not been collected on exports since the 1998 Supreme Court ruling in United States v. U.S. Shoe Corp. It still applies to imports and domestic cargo moves.
Section 301 fees on Chinese-built and Chinese-operated ships took effect in October 2025 and were suspended a month later. The suspension runs to 9 November 2026; no extension had been published as of 13 October 2026.
The US port call also involves filings that cost nothing but delay the ship if missed, such as the USCG Notice of Arrival. Port facility security plans follow the Maritime Transportation Security Act.
Who Pays Port Costs: the Owner or the Charterer?
The charter party decides who pays port costs. Under a time charter the charterer pays port charges, pilotage, towage and agency fees. Under a voyage charter the owner usually pays them, because they are priced into the freight.
Cargo charges follow the freight terms. Under free in and out (FIO) terms, for example, the cargo side pays loading and discharging costs. Charter types explained covers how these forms split the costs.
Time lost waiting for a berth is usually settled as demurrage under the laytime clause, not as a port cost. Container lines charge their own detention and demurrage for boxes kept too long.
How Can Ship Operators Estimate Port Costs?
The most reliable estimate is the agent’s proforma disbursement account, built from the port’s current tariff. Operators check it against the published tariffs and their own records of previous calls at that port.
- Request a PDA from the agent, giving GT, NT, LOA, draught, cargo and planned time alongside.
- Check port dues and berth hire against the port authority’s published tariff or online calculator.
- Confirm the number of tugs and pilotage moves required for the ship’s size.
- Add government fees, waste fees and any service the ship will order, such as fresh water or stores.
- Compare the FDA with the PDA after departure and query any line that differs.
Stores and provisions ordered through a ship chandler often pass through the same agent’s account. Keep them as separate lines so port costs can be compared between calls.
Related Topics
- Busiest container ports in the US
- Panama Canal transit times and the booking system
- Bunker adjustment factor (BAF) and freight surcharges
Frequently Asked Questions
What are port charges?
Port charges are all the costs a ship pays during a port call. They include port dues, berth hire, pilotage, towage, mooring, agency fees and government fees, plus cargo charges such as cargo dues and terminal handling.
What is the difference between port dues and port charges?
Port dues are the port authority’s levy on the ship for using the port, usually based on gross tonnage. Port charges is the wider term that also covers services such as pilotage, towage and berth hire.
What are cargo dues?
Cargo dues are a port authority charge on cargo loaded or discharged, per tonne, unit or container. The cargo owner pays them, usually through the shipping line or forwarder, not the ship.
What is the difference between dockage and wharfage?
Dockage is charged to the ship for occupying a berth, usually per foot of length per 24 hours. Wharfage is charged on the cargo passing over the wharf, per ton or per unit.
Is there a port dues calculator?
Yes, many port authorities publish one, including Singapore’s MPA on its Digitalport service and the Port of Rotterdam. Pilotage authorities such as Maritime Safety Queensland publish fee calculators too. Results are estimates, not invoices.
Do port fees depend on the size of the ship?
Yes. Port dues, pilotage and often berth hire are calculated on gross tonnage or length, so a larger ship pays more for the same call. Bigger ships may also need more tugs.
Who pays for tugs during a port call?
The party that carries port costs under the charter pays: usually the charterer under a time charter and the owner under a voyage charter. The agent orders the tugs and pays them from the advance.
Do ships pay a fee to pass through the English Channel?
No. Under Article 26 of UNCLOS, no charge may be levied on foreign ships only for passing through a territorial sea. Ships pay only for services they use, while canals such as Panama and Suez charge transit tolls.
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