Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida · East Coast
Port Everglades container demurrage & detention dispute guide
A Latin America and Caribbean gateway with many private terminal operators in Southport and an FEC near-dock rail yard. Operator-specific rules and storm closures drive D&D risk.
- Authority
- Broward County Port Everglades Department
- Volume
- 1,167,552 TEU in fiscal 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), a port record on preliminary figures (Port Everglades, December 5, 2025)
- Container terminals
- 6
The port at a glance
Port Everglades is owned by Broward County and run by its Port Everglades Department as a landlord port, with container cargo concentrated in the Southport cargo area at the south end of the harbor. Rather than one or two large terminals, the port hosts a long list of private terminal operators and carrier-affiliated terminals, including Port Everglades Terminal LLC (serving MSC and ZIM), Florida International Terminal (serving CMA CGM, Great White Fleet, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and ONE), Crowley Liner Services, Sun Terminals (serving King Ocean Services) and others handling Caribbean and Central American lines. The Florida East Coast Railway operates a 43-acre near-dock intermodal container transfer facility. The cargo mix is heavily north-south: Latin American and Caribbean trades, perishables, apparel and consumer goods, with a growing set of Asia services.
Port Everglades set a container record in fiscal 2025, and growth has put pressure on terminal capacity and channel depth. The port has documented water depth limits that cause the largest ships to call lightly loaded. For cargo owners, D&D exposure comes from the operator-by-operator structure: each terminal has its own gate hours, availability procedures and empty-return rules, and short-transit Caribbean and Central American services mean free time can be consumed quickly if a container is held or a gate is closed. Perishables add USDA and CBP holds, and hurricane season can close the port entirely.
Importers in South Florida often miss that the same ocean carrier may use different terminals in Port Everglades and PortMiami, and that an invoice may reflect the wrong terminal's availability date or closure calendar. Under 46 CFR § 541.6 each invoice must state the port of discharge, the container availability date and the specific dates charged, and checking those against the right operator's records is where the audit should start.
Container terminals
Port Everglades Terminal LLC (PET)
Port Everglades Terminal LLC · 4200 McIntosh Rd., Southport; serves MSC and ZIM
Florida International Terminal (FIT)
Florida International Terminal, LLC · 4100 McIntosh Rd., Southport; serves CMA CGM, Great White Fleet, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and ONE
Crowley Liner Services terminal
Crowley Liner Services · 4300 McIntosh Rd., Southport
Sun Terminals
Sun Terminals, Inc. · 3501 SE 18th Ave.; serves King Ocean Services
Hyde Shipping terminal
Hyde Shipping · 1801 SE 28th St.; serves Hybur Ltd. and Seaboard Marine
FEC Intermodal Container Transfer Facility
Florida East Coast Railway · 43-acre near-dock rail yard
Appointments & empty returns
- Port Everglades is a landlord port, so gate hours, appointments and container availability are managed by each terminal operator (PET, FIT, Crowley, Sun Terminals and others) through its own systems and customer notices.
- The Port Everglades Department publishes port-wide operational advisories, including hurricane condition and closure notices, on porteverglades.net.
- Intermodal moves through the FEC Railway's near-dock transfer facility follow the railroad's own scheduling and notification process.
Chassis
No port-run gray chassis pool is published for Port Everglades; chassis are supplied by commercial chassis providers, ocean carriers and motor carriers' own equipment.
Where D&D builds up at Port Everglades.
Operator-by-operator rules
With many private terminal operators, gate hours, receiving windows and empty-return rules differ across the port. Evidence must come from the operator where the container was discharged and where the empty was due back.
Hurricane season
South Florida is exposed to hurricanes between June and November, and the U.S. Coast Guard can set port conditions that halt vessel traffic and terminal operations. Port condition and closure notices establish days that cannot fairly count against free time.
Perishable holds
Fresh produce and flowers from Latin America are frequently held for USDA and CBP inspection. Free time that starts before the last hold is released is a common error on perishable invoices.
Channel depth and lightly loaded calls
Port Everglades has documented water depth constraints that limit how deeply the largest vessels can load. Schedule changes and cargo cut from a sailing can push export containers past their earliest return date or cutoff.
Short-transit trades
Caribbean and Central American services have short transit times, so delays in release or appointment availability can consume most of the free time before the cargo owner can act.
Labor events
Port Everglades prepared for the October 1 to 3, 2024 ILA stoppage, which affected container operations covered by the ILA master contract. Billed days during that period deserve review.
Free time and disputes at Port Everglades
Free time at Port Everglades is set by the billing party's governing document. Terminal storage is billed under the terminal operator's schedule, and carrier demurrage and detention are billed under the carrier's tariff or your service contract. With many operators and many carriers, the first step is reading which rule the invoice cites. Section 541.6 requires that rule, the free time in days, the free-time start and end dates, the container availability date, the specific dates charged and the rate. If those are missing, § 541.5 means the billed party has no obligation to pay.
Then test the dates against the right operator's records. For perishables, confirm free time started no earlier than the last USDA or CBP release. Compare chargeable days with the operator's gate calendar and any port-condition closures, and compare detention days with empty return instructions. For exports, compare the earliest return date on the invoice with the booking and any roll notices. Days on which the cargo could not move are the core of the incentive principle in 46 CFR § 545.5.
The 30-day windows run separately for each invoice: the billing party must issue within 30 calendar days of when the charge was last incurred (§ 541.7), and the billed party has at least 30 calendar days from issuance to request mitigation, refund or waiver (§ 541.8). ATAHSKIA sends each relief request with operator-specific evidence attached, tracks the 30-day resolution deadline, and compiles a 46 U.S.C. § 41310 charge complaint for the billed party to submit if the dispute is not resolved.
Port Everglades D&D FAQ
Who operates the container terminals at Port Everglades?
Port Everglades is a landlord port owned by Broward County. Container operators include Port Everglades Terminal LLC, Florida International Terminal, Crowley Liner Services and Sun Terminals, among others listed by the Port Everglades Department.
Does a hurricane closure stop free time at Port Everglades?
That depends on the governing tariff or contract, but charges for days when the port was closed and cargo could not move are a focus of the incentive principle in 46 CFR § 545.5. Keep the port condition and closure notices and raise them in a relief request within the § 541.8 window.
What should perishable importers check on Port Everglades invoices?
Check that free time starts no earlier than the release of the last USDA or CBP hold. The invoice must state the container availability date under 46 CFR § 541.6, and that date is often wrong on held containers.
Audit your Port Everglades invoices.
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