Your cargo has cleared customs. The release order is in your broker's hands. Your transporter is at the gate. And somehow, the container still isn't moving. This is a different problem from a customs hold — and it requires a different set of conversations with different parties to resolve it.
Port terminal holds are less discussed than customs delays but equally disruptive. They sit downstream from customs and upstream from your warehouse, and they generate demurrage charges with the same indifference to circumstances as any other hold.
The Most Common Port-Side Holds
Outstanding Shipping Line Charges
A container cannot be released from the terminal until all shipping line charges are settled — ocean freight (if freight collect), delivery order fee, and any demurrage or detention accrued. If any of these remain unpaid, the terminal will not issue collection authority regardless of customs status. Your customs broker and your freight agent are two different parties — confirm which charges each one is responsible for settling before your cargo arrives.
Terminal System Errors
Port management systems at several major African terminals have periodic errors that prevent release authority from being generated even when all conditions are met. Container number mismatches between the customs release and the terminal system, incorrect B/L references, or system-level data discrepancies can all trigger a hold that requires manual intervention by the terminal's operations staff to resolve.
Port Health or Inspection Hold
Some cargo categories — food products, agricultural goods, chemicals — require a port health or sanitary inspection in addition to customs clearance. If this inspection hasn't been completed and signed off before collection is attempted, the terminal will not release the container. Port health holds are often overlooked in pre-arrival planning because they sit parallel to customs rather than within it.
Congestion and Access Restrictions
At heavily congested ports — particularly Lagos — terminal access for collection trucks is managed through appointment systems or restricted windows. A transporter who arrives outside their designated window, or at a terminal that has suspended truck entry due to congestion, simply waits. This isn't a hold in the formal sense but produces the same outcome: the container doesn't move and the clock keeps running.
How to Get Your Container Moving
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Identify the specific hold before attempting to resolve it. "The container is stuck" is not actionable. "The terminal system shows an outstanding D.O. fee of $85 that hasn't been matched to the release" is. Ask your destination broker and your CALL Customer Service contact for the specific reason in writing — a terminal reference number, a system error code, or a named outstanding charge.
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Escalate through the right party for each hold type. Outstanding shipping line charges: your CALL operations contact. Terminal system error: the terminal's customer service desk, escalated through your broker's terminal relationships. Port health hold: the relevant authority's local office, with your broker facilitating. Congestion access: your transporter, who should have a slot booking system or agent relationship at the relevant terminal.
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Document everything in writing. Every conversation about a port hold should generate a written record — email confirmation of the hold reason, the action taken, and the expected resolution time. This documentation supports any subsequent claim for demurrage waiver if the hold was caused by a terminal or carrier system failure rather than an importer action.
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Request demurrage waiver for system-caused holds. Terminals and shipping lines do occasionally waive or reduce demurrage charges when a hold was clearly caused by their own system error rather than the importer's failure to act. The waiver request must be made promptly, in writing, with supporting documentation. It is not guaranteed, but it succeeds often enough to always be worth attempting.
👉 Pro Tip: The importers who get containers out fastest when a hold occurs are the ones whose destination broker has an established working relationship with the specific terminal's operations team. An agent who calls a named contact at the Douala or Apapa terminal gets faster resolution than one who goes through the general customer service queue. When evaluating a customs broker for a new destination, ask specifically who their terminal contact is and how long they've been working with that terminal. See: How to Choose a Reliable Customs Broker in Africa.
Container held at a port terminal right now?
Contact CALL's Customer Service team immediately. We work directly with destination agents and terminal contacts across major African ports to identify and resolve holds fast.
Contact Our Team →Last reviewed: June 2026 · Category: Ports & Terminals
Related articles: Your Cargo Is Stuck at Customs · Smart Planning to Avoid Demurrage & Detention · How to Choose a Reliable Customs Broker · Shipping to Nigeria
