Anchorage

Anchorage refers to a designated safe area in the waters near a port where vessels may drop anchor and wait for a berth, pilotage, quarantine, or cargo operations. In foreign trade and shipping, anchorage is an important transitional stage after a vessel arrives at port and before berthing, commonly used for waiting for a berth, joint inspection, replenishment, or sheltering from weather. Use cases include: a vessel must wait at anchorage after arrival because berths are congested; or customs, border defense, inspection and quarantine formalities must be completed at anchorage. Note: anchorage is not a cargo handling area; cargo loading and discharging usually must be carried out at a berth. If lightering is conducted at anchorage, special arrangements are required and extra costs may arise (such as anchorage dues and barge charges). The difference from 'Berth' is that a berth is a location at the wharf where a vessel can directly berth and work, while anchorage is a temporary waiting area. It also differs from 'anchorage dues,' which are the charges incurred for using the anchorage. Foreign trade practitioners should pay attention to whether the calculation of laytime and demurrage in the contract includes waiting time at anchorage to avoid disputes.