DHC Charge Explained: Rates, Drivers, and Who Pays

A DHC charge, short for Destination Handling Charge, is a per-container fee that covers the labor, equipment, and terminal access needed to lift your container off the vessel and move it through the destination port. It appears on nearly every ocean freight invoice, it is set by the terminal operator (not negotiated by you), and under the most common trade terms the importer is the one who pays it.

What the DHC Charge Pays For

The fee bundles the physical work of getting a container from ship to gate. At DP World’s Vancouver terminal, for example, the April 2025 tariff splits vessel throughput into the lashing or unlashing of containers aboard the vessel and the loading or discharging of containers to or from the vessel. Gate charges at the same facility cover visual inspection of the container’s external condition and the exchange of equipment interchange receipts.¹ UPS Supply Chain Solutions describes destination terminal handling charges more plainly as “the charges to lift a shipping container on or off of a vessel in port.”²

DP World lists the main cost drivers behind the rate as port infrastructure, the type of cargo being handled, and local regulations and taxes at the destination.³ Services billed separately from the base DHC include storage, customs examination fees, and yard rehandling. If you see those on the same invoice, they are additional line items, not duplicates of the DHC.

How Much a DHC Charge Is

DHC is assessed per container, not by weight or shipment value. Rates vary sharply by port.

Maersk’s World-to-US DHC for a standard 20-foot dry container was $680 effective March 1, 2025, and rose to $755 effective October 15, 2025. The 40-foot and 45-foot high-cube rate moved from $780 to $855 over the same period.⁴⁵ Specialty equipment runs higher: reefer containers into Port Hueneme were assessed $880 under the March 2025 tariff, and tank containers through Savannah were $805 for a 20-foot and $905 for a 40-foot.

Regional rate ranges for a standard container in 2025 looked roughly like this:

Asia-Pacific (Shanghai, Singapore, Busan, Hong Kong): $150–$340 per container
Europe (Rotterdam, Antwerp): $220–$390
North America (Los Angeles, Long Beach): $310–$550

Terminal fees overall accounted for roughly 15 to 25 percent of total freight costs in 2025, with global rates up 8 to 13 percent year-over-year.⁶ Hapag-Lloyd’s Q3 2025 review (effective July 2025) listed destination handling at Indian ports ranging from INR 6,900 to INR 15,250 and at UAE ports from AED 740 to AED 1,270, depending on port and container size.⁷

Rates change frequently. The number on an invoice should match the carrier’s published tariff on the date the container moved, not an older figure.

What Drives the Amount

Three variables do most of the work:

Container size. A 40-foot or 45-foot high-cube costs more to handle than a 20-foot box. In Maersk’s October 2025 US schedule, that gap was $755 versus $855.⁵
Cargo type. Refrigerated containers need electrical hookups and temperature monitoring; hazardous and oversized cargo attract their own surcharges.³
Port location. THC is a local charge set by each terminal. Port of Los Angeles 2025 rates ran $320 to $420 for a 20-foot container; Shanghai ran $160 to $210. North American ports generally sit at the top of the global range, partly because of higher labor costs and congestion surcharges.⁶

You don’t calculate the DHC yourself. FreightAmigo gives a simplified formula (base rate plus a size factor times the base rate, plus additional handling, plus wharfage if charged separately), but in practice the carrier or terminal publishes a tariff and applies it.⁸

Who Pays the DHC Charge

Under most Incoterms, the importer (consignee) pays the DHC. That includes FOB, CFR, and CIF. CIF covers transportation to the destination port, but destination handling at that port is still the importer’s responsibility. Under DAP and DDP, the exporter may cover destination charges depending on the specific agreement.⁹

Two terms create regular confusion. Under CPT (Carriage Paid To), whether the seller or buyer pays THC depends on the seller’s contract of carriage with the shipping line, because some freight rates include terminal handling and others don’t. Under DAT (Delivered at Terminal), the seller bears the cost of unloading from the vessel, but the buyer typically pays for subsequent movements such as transfer to a truck.¹⁰ Carrier terms don’t always line up neatly with Incoterms rules, so the safest move is to spell out DHC allocation in the commercial agreement.

Most shipments incur handling at both ends. A Maersk advisory for Poti, Georgia (effective October 2024) priced a 20-foot dry container with general cargo at $325 OHC (origin) and $400 DHC (destination). A 40-foot ran $400 origin and $470 destination. Dangerous cargo in a 20-foot container was billed $370 origin and $445 destination.¹¹ Destination tends to run slightly higher than origin, though the gap varies by terminal.

DHC vs. THC, DTHC, and DDC

Different carriers use different labels for the same thing. THC (Terminal Handling Charge) is the broad term covering handling at any port. OHC or OTHC refers to the origin side. DHC and DTHC both mean destination handling and are interchangeable. Hapag-Lloyd uses the code “THD” for destination handling in its tariffs; Maersk uses “DHC” in its surcharge advisories.¹¹ The abbreviation depends on the carrier, not a universal standard.

DDC (Destination Delivery Charge) adds another layer. According to logistics firm A.N. Deringer, DDC “covers the same services as a terminal receiving charge (TRC), or a terminal handling charge (THC), or traditional wharfage charge and/or terminal handling charges.”¹² If you see both a DHC and a DDC on the same invoice, ask the carrier or forwarder to confirm you aren’t being charged twice for the same service.

Disputing a DHC Charge You Think Is Wrong

DHC itself is unavoidable, but errors and inflated figures aren’t. Start by requesting an itemized breakdown of charges from your carrier or freight forwarder. Separating line items is what makes it possible to spot a DHC that has been inflated, duplicated under a different label, or marked up. Freight forwarders generally apply a 10 to 30 percent markup on base freight rates, so the number next to “DHC” on a forwarder invoice may not be the raw terminal cost.

Carriers that pass through terminal charges are prohibited from marking them up above the amount actually billed by the terminal, and common carriers must publish each charge separately in their automated tariff.¹³ Maersk and other carriers note in their advisories that rates differing from the published tariff are only binding if included in a service contract or amendment filed with the Federal Maritime Commission.⁴ So the first check is simple: does the DHC on your invoice match the tariff or rate confirmation in effect on the shipment date?

If it doesn’t, you have grounds to dispute. Under 49 U.S. Code § 13710, shippers and brokers have 180 days from receipt of an invoice to contest charges. The process is to compare the invoice against the rate confirmation, bill of lading, and proof of delivery, then send the carrier a written explanation with supporting documents. If the carrier doesn’t respond, the recommended practice is to pay the undisputed portion and hold back the disputed amount with a written explanation.¹⁴

The Federal Maritime Commission says all fees and surcharges “must be reasonable, clearly defined, and serve a specific measurable purpose.” Shippers who believe a DHC is unreasonable can take an informal complaint to the FMC’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services, or initiate a formal proceeding before the Office of Administrative Law Judges.¹⁵

Longer term, the levers that actually move DHC costs are routing and volume. Comparing terminal fees across ports on the same coast can reduce port costs by 15 to 20 percent according to industry estimates, and consolidating smaller shipments into full container loads lowers the per-unit cost of a fee that is charged by the box.⁶

1
DP World. DP World Vancouver Container Terminal Services Tariff
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UPS Supply Chain Solutions. Destination Terminal Handling Charges
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DP World. Terminal Handling Charge at Destination (DHC)
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Maersk. Terminal Handling Service DHC – World to United States
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Maersk. Terminal Handling Service DHC – World to US and Canada
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FreightAmigo. Comparing Terminal Fees Across Major Ports
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Hapag-Lloyd. Local Charges Update Overview Q3 2025
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FreightAmigo. Understanding Terminal Handling Charges (THC) in Shipping
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BRF Logistics. What Is the Destination Charge – The Complete Guide
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Incoterms Explained. Terminal Handling Charges
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Maersk. Terminal Handling Service – Origin and Destination
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Anderinger. Destination Delivery Charge (DDC)
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Federal Register. Carrier Automated Tariffs
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LaneProof. Billing Disputes – Freight Documents That Win
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Federal Maritime Commission. FMC Monitoring and Review of Surcharges and Fees