Dodge Island, Miami, Florida · East Coast
PortMiami container demurrage & detention dispute guide
Three container terminal operators on Dodge Island, TERMPoint appointments at SFCT, on-port FEC rail and a direct tunnel to I-395. Holds and storm closures drive D&D risk.
- Authority
- Miami-Dade County (Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami-Dade, PortMiami)
- Volume
- 1,115,058 TEU in fiscal 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), up 2.35% from 1,089,443 (Miami-Dade County, December 2, 2025)
- Container terminals
- 3
The port at a glance
PortMiami is owned by Miami-Dade County and operates as a landlord port on Dodge Island, with lease agreements for three container terminal operators: South Florida Container Terminal (SFCT), the Port of Miami Terminal Operating Company (POMTOC), which describes itself as the only non-carrier-owned terminal operator at the port and has served the port since 1994, and Seaboard Marine, which runs its own terminal for its Caribbean and Latin American services. The port has on-port rail service from the Florida East Coast Railway and a tunnel connecting Dodge Island directly to the interstate system, keeping trucks off downtown streets. PortMiami has handled more than 1 million TEU for eleven consecutive fiscal years, and its cargo mix is anchored in Latin America and the Caribbean, with perishables, apparel, consumer goods and machinery.
Miami's D&D exposure is shaped by its trade profile. Short-transit Caribbean and Latin American services mean containers become available quickly after arrival, so any delay in release, a hold or an appointment shortage eats directly into free time. Perishable imports are regularly held by USDA and CBP. Hurricane season can close the port, and port conditions set by the U.S. Coast Guard stop vessel and terminal operations. Each of the three terminals has its own gate procedures, so evidence has to come from the operator that actually handled the box.
A common error in Miami is assuming that a carrier's free time is the same at PortMiami and at Port Everglades, or that every terminal follows the same gate calendar. Each invoice must state the applicable rule, the container availability date and the specific dates charged under 46 CFR § 541.6. Comparing those fields with the terminal's own records, including SFCT's TERMPoint appointment history, is the starting point for any dispute.
Container terminals
South Florida Container Terminal (SFCT)
South Florida Container Terminal, LLC (Terminal Link and APM Terminals joint venture) · Full-service container terminal; fleet expanding to 18 electric RTGs under the eRTG project
POMTOC
Port of Miami Terminal Operating Company · Non-carrier-owned terminal operator serving the port since 1994
Seaboard Marine terminal
Seaboard Marine · Carrier-operated terminal for Caribbean, Central and South American services; berth rehabilitation under way
Appointments & empty returns
- SFCT introduced the TERMPoint truck appointment system in March 2021; drivers create, modify and cancel appointments for import, export and empty containers, and an import watch-list alerts users when containers are ready for appointment.
- POMTOC and Seaboard Marine publish their own gate procedures and container availability through their own websites and customer notices.
- PortMiami publishes port-wide advisories, including hurricane and port condition notices, through Miami-Dade County.
Chassis
No port-run gray chassis pool is published for PortMiami; chassis are supplied by commercial chassis providers, ocean carriers and motor carriers' own equipment.
Where D&D builds up at Miami.
Appointment availability at SFCT
SFCT's TERMPoint system controls when import, export and empty moves can be made. Days with no appointments available for a container are days it could not be retrieved, and TERMPoint screenshots are the evidence.
USDA and CBP holds
Perishables and other regulated cargo from Latin America are regularly inspected. Free time that starts before the last hold is released is a frequent error to check on Miami invoices.
Hurricane season and port conditions
When the U.S. Coast Guard sets hurricane port conditions, vessel traffic and terminal operations stop. Port condition notices and terminal closure advisories mark days that should not count against free time.
Terminal-specific gate closures
Each terminal closes its gate independently for holidays, weather or operational reasons (SFCT, for example, has posted gate closure notices on its appointment page). Evidence must come from the terminal where the container sat.
Short-transit trades
Caribbean and Latin American services can deliver a container to Miami in a few days. Fast arrivals and fast availability leave little room to absorb a hold or an appointment shortage.
Free time and disputes at Miami
At PortMiami, 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. Free time therefore depends on the billing party and the terminal. Section 541.6 requires every invoice to state the applicable rule, the free time in days, the free-time start and end dates, the container availability date, the specific dates charged and the rate. An invoice missing those elements is one the billed party, under § 541.5, has no obligation to pay.
Next, test the dates with the terminal's records. Compare the free-time start with the availability and hold release history, especially for perishables. For SFCT containers, compare chargeable days with TERMPoint appointment availability; for POMTOC and Seaboard Marine, use their gate records and notices. Remove days covered by hurricane port conditions or terminal closures, and check detention days against empty return instructions. Days the cargo could not move are what the incentive principle in 46 CFR § 545.5 addresses.
The 30-day rules apply to each invoice independently. The billing party must issue within 30 calendar days of when the charge was last incurred (§ 541.7), and you have at least 30 calendar days from issuance to request mitigation, refund or waiver (§ 541.8), with the billing party required to resolve within 30 days of receipt. ATAHSKIA files relief requests with terminal and hold evidence attached and, if a request is not resolved, compiles a 46 U.S.C. § 41310 charge complaint for the billed party to submit to the FMC.
Miami D&D FAQ
Which container terminals operate at PortMiami?
Miami-Dade County lists three container terminal operators: South Florida Container Terminal (SFCT), the Port of Miami Terminal Operating Company (POMTOC) and Seaboard Marine.
How are truck appointments booked at South Florida Container Terminal?
SFCT uses TERMPoint, introduced in March 2021, to create, modify and cancel appointments for import, export and empty containers. Screenshots showing no available appointments are useful evidence in a D&D dispute.
Can I dispute demurrage for days PortMiami was closed for a hurricane?
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. Capture the port condition notices and terminal closures and raise them in a relief request within the § 541.8 window.
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