Maersk published Update 9 of its Strait of Hormuz line detention advisory on Nov 5. Set beside Update 8 from July 6, the six scenarios read the same with one exception. The 15-day free time for eligible cross-border merchant haulage exports now covers containers with a Price Calculation Date (PCD) on or before Dec 31, 2026. Update 8 stopped at Aug 31.

If you moved exports under this arrangement with a PCD after Aug 31, the free time used on your Demurrage & Detention (D&D) invoices may be shorter than the allowance Update 9 now describes. Eligibility depends on the movement, applicable terms and shipment dates, so start with the booking record and the container’s own timeline.

What Update 9 Says, Scenario by Scenario

Scenario	Applies to	Terms	Window in Update 9
5 (changed)	Exports, merchant haulage cross-border	15 days of free time in total	PCD on or before Dec 31, 2026; Update 8 said Aug 31
6	Exports, merchant haulage cross-border, empty picked up at Jebel Ali and loaded out of Salalah or Sohar	15 days of free time in total	PCD on or before July 15, 2026
2	Imports discharged on or after March 26 at Salalah or Jeddah	Standard or contracted free time, with paid packages: Salalah 12 days for USD 360; Jeddah local 8 days for USD 100; Jeddah cross-border 8 days for USD 240	No end date printed
1	Imports discharged at Salalah from Feb 28 to March 25, not gated out before March 25	15 days of free time in total	Gate-out from March 25 to April 30
4	Imports discharged at Jeddah from Feb 28 to June 30, not yet gated out	15 days of free time in total	Gate-out from May 21 to June 30
3	Imports discharged at Jebel Ali from Feb 28 to March 15, not yet gated out	15 days of free time in total	No gate-out end date printed

What the New Date May Reach

Update 8’s window ended on Aug 31. Update 9 arrived on Nov 5, about nine weeks later. Its export scenario retains the March 26 effective date and now gives a PCD cutoff of Dec 31, without specifying a September to October gap.

Containers with a PCD between Sept 1 and Nov 4 therefore appear worth reviewing. That is a reading of the revised wording. The advisory does not explain how Maersk will handle charges already invoiced, so confirm applicability and any adjustment with your Maersk contact before counting on a credit.

Find the Exports the Change Touches

Three filters narrow the list:

• Movement: merchant haulage cross-border exports covered by the Hormuz advisory. Scenario 5 does not list individual lanes, so confirm that your route is included.
• Date: PCD from Sept 1 through Nov 4 for the retrospective review, and through Dec 31 for later PCDs.
• Allowance: standard or contracted free time below 15 days. The offer brings the allowance to 15 days in total.

Use the PCD recorded for the shipment. It is not necessarily the date you obtained a quotation or created the booking. Update 9 does not define the term. Maersk’s rate notices define it for non-spot bookings as the first water leg’s scheduled departure at booking confirmation on non-FMC trades, and as the last container gate-in date on FMC trades. Our South Africa PSS post shows why a later actual departure alone does not necessarily move that date.

Scenario 6 did not move. Its window for empties picked up at Jebel Ali and loaded out of Salalah or Sohar still ends at a PCD of July 15. The advisory does not resolve its overlap with the wider Dec 31 scenario. Ask which provision applies before assuming the later cutoff covers that movement.

To test the change, pick one export whose PCD falls in September. Put its route, haulage arrangement, PCD, applicable free time and billed calculation side by side. If the allowance used for billing is below 15 days, ask Maersk whether Scenario 5 applies and whether the invoice needs adjusting.

If your team checks detention invoices against pickup, gate-in and loading dates by hand, walk through how ops teams compare billed free time with container movement timelines.

On Imports, the Automatic Relief Has Specific Conditions

The automatic extensions in Scenarios 1, 3 and 4 apply to the defined historical cases in the table. Salalah and Jebel Ali also carry change-of-destination qualifications, and Jebel Ali transshipment cargo has separate charging treatment. Scenarios 2 and 4 both cover Jeddah discharges between March 26 and June 30, so check which one was applied. Read the full scenario before applying the 15-day allowance to a historical invoice.

The paid packages average USD 30 per package day at Salalah and on Jeddah cross-border moves, and USD 12.50 on Jeddah local moves. A contingency package can be bought once per container and cannot be combined with another package. Maersk sells it offline through its Customer Experience agents, under the subject “Middle east contingency.”

Further days are available through its separate Free Time Extension product. The advisory says that product can be purchased online or offline immediately after discharge until the container’s current last free day expires.

Compare the full package price with the charges you expect to incur over the additional days needed. Account for equipment type, tariff tiers and currency. The calculated daily average alone will not establish whether a package saves money, and separate terminal storage or reefer charges may still apply.

Empty Returns Can Change the Tariff

When an empty goes back in an alternative country, Maersk says the local D&D tariff and free-time conditions for that location apply. Under the paid-package scenario, the alternative-location tariff applies after the package’s free time expires.

Confirm the accepted return depot and applicable terms before arranging the move. An alternative-country tariff does not itself establish that a depot will accept the container or that a fresh free-time period begins there.

If a cross-border return to a designated location is unlawful or materially prevented by authorities, Maersk asks customers to contact their representative within seven calendar days of the advisory’s date to agree an interim solution and D&D treatment. Seven calendar days after Nov 5 is Nov 12. Maersk does not print that date, and the same contact clause appeared in Update 8, so confirm how the instruction applies to your blocked return.

Match the Terms to the Container’s Timeline

PCD identifies the applicable pricing date. Movement events establish the period being charged. For exports, Maersk’s general D&D terms distinguish detention, running from empty pickup to full-container gate-in, from combined D&D, running from empty pickup to loading aboard the vessel.

Keep the relevant pickup, gate-in and loading events alongside the booking’s PCD, free-time terms, any purchased extension and Maersk’s confirmed last free day. For import checks, retain discharge, gate-out and empty-return events, including the agreed return location.

Checking those records one at a time in a portal gets slow once an advisory has six scenarios and has reached its ninth update. Keep the terms and events per container in one place, then line them up against each invoice. When the next update changes a window, the same list can be filtered again.

What to Check This Week

• Exports with a PCD from Sept 1: pull the route, haulage arrangement, PCD, free time and billed calculation for each container.
• Invoices already issued: ask Maersk in writing whether Scenario 5 applies and how any adjustment would be handled.
• Jebel Ali empties loaded out of Salalah or Sohar: ask whether Scenario 5 or Scenario 6 governs the movement.
• Blocked cross-border returns: contact your Maersk representative now, counting seven calendar days from Nov 5.
• Imports at Salalah or Jeddah: price a package or further days against expected charges while the last free day is still ahead.

Further Reading

• Maersk Update 9: Hormuz temporary line detention solutions, Nov 5, 2026
• Maersk Update 8: Hormuz temporary line detention solutions, July 6, 2026
• Maersk Terms for Detention and Demurrage
• Maersk rate notice with its PCD definition, Aug 12, 2026
• Maersk local information and country D&D tariffs

---

Scenario terms and dates come from Maersk’s Update 9 (Nov 5, 2026), compared with Update 8 (July 6, 2026). Per-day averages and the Nov 12 date are calculated here and do not appear in the advisory. The Sept 1 to Nov 4 review is a reading of the revised wording, not a Maersk statement. Confirm applicability, tariffs and any adjustment against your own contract and with your Maersk representative.