Port & terminal costs
$22B / yr
Estimated global demurrage and detention charges
Industry estimates. US FMC data shows nine major carriers collected roughly $15.4B in D&D over 2020-2025
~20%
Port-call disbursement invoices estimated to contain errors or overcharges
Harbor Lab, disbursement audit provider
15-22 days / yr
Average vessel time spent waiting at anchor, with ~10%+ voyage emissions savings available from just-in-time arrival
UCL / UMAS, 2024
Freight & duty
3-8%
Freight invoices reported to contain errors, typically favouring the carrier
Freight audit industry studies. LTL variances reported up to 25%
$3B+ / yr
US duty drawback estimated to go unclaimed
US drawback industry estimates. Claimed drawback reached ~$3.9B in 2023 after TFTEA
~90%
Audited voyages found charged more in ETS surcharges than the carrier’s actual EU ETS cost
Transport & Environment study of 565 voyages across four major carriers, 2024
68-2,371 days
Documented delays in Indian duty drawback disbursal, with interest claimable on late payment
CAG of India, Report No. 33 of 2025
20-30%
Share of India’s eligible exports actually using FTA preferential rates, leaving duty savings unclaimed
GTRI FTA Report Card, 2026
Trade finance & documentation
60-75%
Letters of credit reported rejected on first presentation due to discrepancies
ICC and trade-bank studies
4B / day
Paper documents estimated to circulate in global trade
ICC / World Economic Forum
~11%
Bills of lading issued electronically as of 2025, of ~45M per year
DCSA and McKinsey. Full eBL adoption estimated worth $6.5B in direct savings
$2.5T
Global trade finance gap, hitting SMEs hardest
Asian Development Bank
Safety & compliance
1 per ~17 days
Container ship fires, with misdeclared cargo linked to about a quarter of cargo incidents
Allianz Safety & Shipping Review and World Shipping Council
55%
Inspected containers found non-compliant in a US container inspection initiative
US National Cargo Bureau
$725M
US and Canada cargo theft losses estimated in 2025, up 60% year on year
Verisk CargoNet
All figures are published estimates from the named sources, compiled August 2026. Corrections welcome at umesh@kryoo.io.
Estimate it
What is your freight leakage?
Published studies put freight invoice errors at 3-8% of spend. Enter your annual ocean freight spend for an indicative range. Duty refunds, drawback and preferential tariffs, come on top and are quoted after an audit.