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Terminal handling charges (THC)
Terminal handling charges (THC) pay for moving a container through the port terminal — lifting it on or off the ship and handling it in the yard. Lines bill them separately at origin and destination. Hapag-Lloyd's origin THC in Germany is EUR 285 per container from June 2026; Maersk's destination charge in the US is USD 780 per 40ft.
Origin and destination
DP World's Jebel Ali tariff lists the terminal handling charge as its item for loading and discharging containers. Carriers split what they pass on: Hapag-Lloyd bills a terminal handling charge origin (THO) and destination (THD); Maersk calls them OHC and DHC.
| Where | Charge | Amount | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany, Hapag-Lloyd origin | THC per 20ft and 40ft dry | EUR 285, plus EUR 15 security | 1 June 2026 |
| United States, Maersk destination | DHC per 20ft / 40ft dry | USD 680 / USD 780 | 1 March 2025 |
| Jebel Ali, collected by DP World | THC per 20ft / 40ft | AED 700 / AED 1,100 | 1 November 2023 |
Worked example: one 40ft, Algeciras to Newark
Maersk's own sample from March 2025: ocean freight USD 1,544 + origin THC EUR 260 + destination THC USD 780 + emissions surcharge USD 130Terminal handling at the two ends is a large share of the total here — read the whole quote, not the base rate.
Who pays
The sales contract decides who bears each end; Maersk's guide to Incoterms, for example, puts origin terminal handling on the seller under FOB and destination handling on the buyer under CFR and CIF. In Dubai the structure itself changed: from November 2023 DP World began collecting THC directly from importers and exporters, and Maersk stopped collecting it at Jebel Ali.
The US rule
Where a carrier merely acts as collection agent for terminal charges, FMC rules let the change take effect on publication — but the carrier must not mark those charges up above cost (46 CFR 520.8). An unexpected THC rise on a US invoice is worth checking against the terminal's own tariff.
FAQ
Terminal handling charges (THC): common questions
- What are terminal handling charges?
- Charges for handling a container at the port terminal — loading it onto or off the ship and moving it in the yard — billed per container at the origin and destination ports.
- Who pays THC under FOB and CIF?
- The sales contract decides. In Maersk's guide to Incoterms, the seller pays origin terminal handling under FOB, and the buyer pays destination terminal handling under CFR and CIF.
- How much are terminal handling charges?
- They vary by port and carrier: EUR 285 per container at origin in Germany with Hapag-Lloyd from June 2026, USD 780 per 40ft at US destinations with Maersk.
Sources
- DP World Jebel Ali, Tariffs and General Conditions of Trade, effective 1 November 2023
- Terminal handling charges, Europe — Hapag-Lloyd, June 2026
- Terminal handling service, destination (DHC), world to US — Maersk, 31 January 2025
- DP World Decision No. 2, information pack — Dubai Trade, October 2023
- Terminal handling service, Jebel Ali — Maersk, 26 October 2023
- Incoterms visual guide — Maersk
- 46 CFR 520.8 — Tariff effective dates (eCFR)