Laytime and demurrage management have grown increasingly complex, driven by heightened regulations, legal ambiguities, and global supply chain disruptions. With rising costs and operational risks, managing claims with precision has become essential for maritime operators. 

An interesting recent report by the Federal Maritime Commission exemplifies the scale of the problem across not only the container shipping sector, but tramp shipping as well: over a 41-month period starting April 2020, nine carriers collected a staggering $13.9 billion in demurrage and detention fees—amounting to $339 million per month and $4 billion per year. Knowing just how costly demurrage can be, industry leaders are prioritizing streamlined and optimized processes for claims. Let’s take a look at key factors impacting laytime and demurrage today and how technology is paving the way for the future. 

Stricter regulations and supply chain disruptions 

Environmental regulations aimed at sustainability have introduced new layers of complexity for maritime operators, such as an increase in compliance checks at port that could potentially cause operational delays. Port delays can then lead to missed laytime windows and higher risks of demurrage charges. Simultaneously, global supply chain disruptions and port congestion have made it increasingly difficult to meet contract schedules, further elevating the risk of disputes. 

Complex contracts and legal disputes 

The complexity of modern charter party agreements, particularly around laytime and demurrage clauses, can often lead to disputes. For instance,  COVID-19 has complicated “free pratique” handling in the notice of readiness. Multiple stakeholders with varying risk exposures and interpretations only add to these nuances. BIMCO’s 2022 update to the GENCON charterparty calls out this increasing complexity, stating: “The shipping industry has become much more complex and regulated, with both shipowners and cargo owners being subject to obligations that were never thought of in 1994.”  

Claims management today 

As the maritime industry continues to digitalize, managing claims is becoming more data-driven but also more complex. Operators must reconcile data from multiple sources to verify claims and ensure transparency. This is where the right digital technologies can support, providing a centralized claims management workspace so users can quickly resolve disputes and streamline communication with counterparties. 

Commercial freight management solutions like the Veson IMOS Platform can enhance visibility, allowing users to manage claims intake, communication, and calculations from a filterable dashboard. This helps verify claims against multiple data sources, reducing the time spent reconciling differences. The platform also facilitates creating and sharing claims packages with stakeholders, providing a single source of truth, simplifying the claims process, and accelerating resolution. 

The future of laytime and demurrage 

Looking forward, technological advancements like AI are set to transform laytime and demurrage management by helping to further automate processes and pave the way for more dynamic contracts that enhance transparency and reduce disputes. As sustainability pressures mount, global standardization and innovative technologies will be key to improving operational efficiency and reducing risks. 

Claims management with IMOS 

By automating data collection, streamlining workflows, and providing centralized visibility into all claims, IMOS X Claims CoCaptain redefines how maritime claims are managed. It eliminates inefficiencies, accelerates resolution, and enables better financial forecasting—so your teams can get to settlement faster and achieve the best possible financial outcome.

At Veson, we understand that managing claims is a critical part of running a maritime business. While the ideal scenario would be zero claims, demurrage alone often represents a significant share of the cost of carriage. With over 15 years of experience supporting maritime claims workflows, we’ve helped the industry process more than 950,000 claims valued at over $24 billion.

Built directly on the IMOS Platform, Claims CoCaptain suggests claims as soon as a voyage is completed, enabling a seamless transition from operations to demurrage teams. As laytime calculations are updated in Claims, the corresponding P&L in IMOS can be automatically adjusted—providing real-time visibility into the financial impact as claims evolve. This alignment between claims and financials ensures your process remains accurate, efficient, and tightly integrated with broader commercial workflows.

Watch our on-demand webinar to learn more about how Claims CoCaptain can help streamline your claims management process or reach out to our team for a personalized demo.

Ready to start exploring potential advancements to your claims management process? Get in touch with us here, we’d love to speak with you.