Port Klang Charges Explained: Who Pays What, and When

Three parties, three invoices

The first thing to understand is that “Port Klang charges” is not one tariff. Costs
come from:

• The terminal (Westport or Northport) — for physically handling and
  storing your container.
• The shipping line — for the container, the voyage, and anything
  that happens to their equipment while you have it.
• Your forwarder or customs agent — for the declaration, the
  documentation and the haulage.

Each publishes its own tariff and bills separately. A quote that only covers one of the
three is not wrong — it is just incomplete, and the gap is where most disputes about
“hidden charges” come from.

What you will actually see on an import

• Terminal handling (THC) — moving your container between the vessel
  and the yard. Charged per container and varies by size and type.
• Lift on / lift off — craning the container onto or off a truck.
• Storage — after the terminal’s free period, charged per day and
  usually escalating.
• Demurrage and detention — the carrier’s charges, separate from
  terminal storage and on a different clock.
  How demurrage and
  detention actually work.
• Documentation / delivery order — the carrier’s charge for releasing
  the cargo to you.
• Customs declaration fee — your agent’s fee for preparing and
  lodging the K1.
• Duty and SST — paid to Customs, calculated on the CIF value.
• Haulage — trucking from the port to your premises.
• Examination charges — only if your container is selected for
  inspection: the movement, the unstuffing if required, and the time.

And on an export

• Terminal handling — the export side equivalent.
• Haulage and lift charges — moving the empty to you and the loaded
  container to the terminal.
• Documentation / bill of lading fee — from the carrier.
• Seal fee and VGM — small, unavoidable, and
  occasionally forgotten in quotes.
• Customs declaration fee — for the K2.
• Certificate of Origin — where your buyer needs one.
• Reefer monitoring or special equipment charges — where applicable.

Who pays what: it comes down to the Incoterm

Most arguments about port charges are really arguments about Incoterms. The port does
not decide who pays; your contract does.

• FOB — the seller covers costs up to loading at the origin port. The
  buyer takes the ocean freight and everything at destination, including destination
  THC and clearance.
• CIF — the seller covers cost, insurance and freight to the discharge
  port. Destination handling, clearance, duty and haulage still fall to the buyer,
  which surprises first-time importers who assumed CIF meant delivered.
• EXW — the buyer takes everything from the seller’s door, including
  export clearance in the origin country.
• DDP — the seller takes everything, including duty at destination.
  Attractive to buyers, and priced accordingly.

The practical test before you agree a price: ask which charges are not
included. A supplier quoting CIF is not quoting delivery to your warehouse, and the gap
is real money.

What makes the bill bigger than the quote

• Time. Storage, demurrage and detention are the only charges that
  grow while you do nothing. Everything else is fixed at booking.
• Inspection. If your container is selected, the movement and
  handling are billable — and the delay itself can trigger storage.
• Shifting. If a container has to be moved to get to another one,
  that move is charged.
• Special equipment. Reefers, out-of-gauge and hazardous cargo carry
  their own handling and monitoring charges.
• Peak season. Haulage availability tightens and rates move; a truck
  booked late in a busy week costs more than one booked early.
• Amendments. Changing a bill of lading or a declaration after
  submission usually carries a fee, and sometimes a delay.

How to compare quotes properly

Two forwarders quoting the same lane can differ by a wide margin and both be honest —
they are quoting different scopes. To compare like for like:

1. Ask for the quote to your door, not to the port.
2. Ask explicitly what is excluded.
3. Ask how much free time is included and how it is counted.
4. Ask whether the customs declaration is in the price, and whether
   it is filed in-house or subcontracted.
   Why that
   matters.
5. Ask what happens on inspection — who attends, and what it costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much are Port Klang charges?

Terminal tariffs are published by Westport and Northport, carrier charges by each
shipping line, and agent fees vary. Because they come from three sources and depend on
container size, cargo type and how long the box sits, the only meaningful number is a
quote for your specific shipment.

What is THC and do I have to pay it?

Terminal handling charge covers moving your container between the vessel and the yard.
Whether you pay origin THC, destination THC or both depends on the Incoterm agreed with
your counterparty.

Why did I get more than one invoice?

Because the terminal, the shipping line and your agent each bill for their own part.
A single all-in invoice is possible when one forwarder handles everything, but the
underlying charges are still coming from three places.

Is storage the same as demurrage?

No. Terminal storage is billed by the terminal for occupying yard space. Demurrage is
billed by the carrier for the container being held beyond free time. The same delay can
generate both.

Which is cheaper, Westport or Northport?

They publish separate tariffs, but the terminal is usually decided by the shipping line
and the service you are booked on, not chosen by the shipper. The bigger cost lever is
how quickly the container moves, not which terminal it lands in.

Get one number instead of three invoices

TNS Log Services books the freight, files the declaration in-house as a licensed
customs agent, and runs the haulage — so you can be quoted to your door with the
exclusions stated up front, rather than discovering them one invoice at a time.

See the full import
process, or
message
us on WhatsApp with your cargo and destination — we will quote door to door and
tell you what is not included.