Sierra Leone DCO and PCD Checklist

Maersk’s new Sierra Leone DCO cannot be applied correctly from the quotation date alone. Effective October 10, 2026, the published origin depot full-container storage charge is USD 35 per 20-foot dry container and USD 70 per 40-foot dry or high-cube container. For non-Spot bookings, the decisive Price Calculation Date depends on whether the shipment is FMC-regulated: non-FMC cargo uses the scheduled departure of the first water leg shown at booking confirmation, while FMC cargo uses the last container gate-in date.

Key takeaways:

• Confirm that the charged ocean leg actually originates in Sierra Leone.
• Match each container to 20DRY, 40DRY, or 40HDRY before calculating DCO.
• Determine Spot status and FMC status before assigning a PCD event.
• Keep the DCO separate from ocean freight and other local or contingency charges.

What the Sierra Leone DCO covers

Maersk published the rate announcement on September 9, 2026. It introduces Depot Full Container Storage – Origin, identified by the surcharge code DCO, for the scope “Sierra Leone to World countries.” The notice states that the charge is effective October 10, 2026 and continues until further notice. This is a dated carrier tariff announcement, not a live all-in freight quote.

The equipment table lists three dry-container categories. A 20DRY container carries a published DCO of USD 35. A 40DRY container carries USD 70, and a 40HDRY container also carries USD 70. The basis is per container. A 40-foot box is therefore not recalculated as two 20-foot units, and a bill of lading containing several boxes is not treated as a single chargeable unit.

For example, two 20DRY containers and one 40HDRY container produce a DCO-only calculation of USD 140: two times USD 35 plus one times USD 70. The example does not include base ocean freight, terminal handling, inland transport, documentation, customs-related costs, local charges, or contingency charges. Maersk expressly notes that other applicable surcharges may apply.

The route scope also matters. Cargo should not be assigned this DCO merely because it moves through West Africa. The affected leg must originate in Sierra Leone under the relevant Maersk booking. If goods are collected in another country, consolidated in Sierra Leone, or transferred between bookings, the booking confirmation and tariff origin should establish whether a Sierra Leone-origin water leg exists.

The phrase “depot full container storage” should not be read as an announcement that free time has changed. The notice introduces a charge but does not publish a revised free-time schedule. Detention, demurrage, terminal storage, and another depot charge may follow different rules. Each line should retain its own code, basis, currency, validity, and responsible payer.

This distinction is commercially important because an all-in line called “local fees” cannot be audited. A useful quote should show the container type and quantity, the USD 35 or USD 70 DCO, other origin costs, base freight, destination costs, and any inland services separately. It should also identify the source date so a later revision can be compared with the correct snapshot.

How non-FMC and FMC PCD rules differ

PCD means Price Calculation Date. It determines which tariff version is retrieved for a non-Spot booking, but the triggering event is not identical across regulatory categories.

For a non-FMC, non-Spot booking, Maersk defines PCD as the scheduled departure date of the first water leg at the time of booking confirmation. The useful evidence is the valid booking confirmation and the first water leg displayed in that document. The sales inquiry date, quotation issue date, warehouse arrival, inland pickup, or a later mainline sailing is not automatically the stated PCD.

Consider a booking confirmed with a feeder departure on October 8 and a later mainline connection after October 10. If the feeder is the first water leg and the booking is non-FMC and non-Spot, the October 8 scheduled departure is the event named in the notice. The team should not substitute the later mainline departure simply because it is the longer or more visible leg. Any amended confirmation, however, should be checked to see whether the applicable schedule evidence changed.

For an FMC-regulated, non-Spot booking, Maersk defines PCD as the last container gate-in date. A multi-container shipment therefore needs container-level evidence. If four containers enter the depot or terminal on October 9 and a fifth enters on October 10, the first four gate-in timestamps do not replace the event for the last listed container. The transport document, container list, and gate-in record should be reconciled.

FMC status should be confirmed, not inferred casually from a country name. The Federal Maritime Commission regulates relevant U.S. ocean transportation, but the operative commercial question is whether the booking is treated as FMC-regulated under the carrier’s tariff and documentation. Ask the carrier or booking party to identify the regulatory category in writing.

The notice describes these PCD rules for non-Spot bookings. It does not provide a separate Spot-booking rule in the displayed rate text. Teams should therefore return to the Spot confirmation, product terms, or current carrier tariff rather than applying either non-Spot trigger by analogy.

A strong written rate query contains four questions: Is this booking Spot or non-Spot? Is it FMC-regulated? What exact event defines PCD? What calendar date did that event produce? The answer should reference the booking number, affected leg, equipment list, and tariff source. This prevents an unsupported statement such as “we booked before the increase” from becoming the only evidence.

How to build an auditable quote and invoice file

An auditable file can be organized around four control groups: route, equipment, date, and cost. Each group should be specific enough for another reviewer to reproduce the decision.

Under route, record Sierra Leone as the tariff origin for the affected water leg and state the actual destination. If the cargo has factory pickup, cross-border trucking, transshipment, or destination delivery, map those legs separately. A broad label such as “Africa shipment” does not prove that the DCO scope is met.

Under equipment, list every container number and classify it as 20DRY, 40DRY, 40HDRY, or another type. Apply USD 35 only to a covered 20DRY and USD 70 only to a covered 40DRY or 40HDRY. Special equipment that is not listed should remain unpriced until the carrier confirms its treatment.

Under date, record the booking as Spot or non-Spot, confirm the FMC category, name the PCD event, and preserve the date. Keep the original booking confirmation and each material amendment. For FMC cargo, retain the gate-in evidence for every container on the transport document. For non-FMC cargo, retain the confirmation showing the first water leg.

Under cost, separate DCO from ocean freight and every other applicable item. Include the currency, unit, container quantity, calculation, validity, and payer. If an invoice groups several fees together, request the carrier or billing party to provide the components before approving it.

Changes require a new check. Replacing a 20DRY with a 40HDRY changes the published DCO. Adding a late container can change the last gate-in event for FMC cargo. Rebooking or modifying the first water leg may affect the documentary basis for a non-FMC booking. A service-contract amendment can also govern a rate differently from an informal email discussion.

YANCHAO can help organize booking confirmations, container lists, route segments, PCD evidence, and invoice lines in multi-leg international logistics work. The carrier’s effective tariff, booking confirmation, and applicable contract determine the final charge. YANCHAO’s document support does not replace the carrier’s decision and does not convert this dated surcharge notice into a guaranteed route, transit time, or all-in price.

Comparing the two non-Spot PCD paths

Check	Non-FMC, non-Spot	FMC, non-Spot
PCD event	Scheduled departure of the first water leg at booking confirmation	Last container gate-in date
Core evidence	Valid booking confirmation and first water leg	Transport document, container list, and gate-in records
Common error	Using inquiry or quotation date	Using the first container’s gate-in date
October 10 test	Is the stated first-water-leg date before or after the effective date?	Did the last listed container gate in before or after the effective date?

The table explains why two non-Spot shipments discussed on the same day may retrieve different tariff results. Their regulatory category and operational evidence can point to different PCD events. It does not establish a rule for Spot cargo, a different carrier, another origin, or a separate storage product.

Commercial teams should also distinguish a tariff trigger from operational responsibility. A warehouse can provide gate-in records, a forwarder can reconcile documents, and a carrier can confirm the tariff category. None of those roles should silently replace the evidence required from another party. Record who supplied each field and who confirmed the final rate.

Summary and pre-approval checklist

The Sierra Leone DCO applies to covered Maersk dry containers originating in Sierra Leone from October 10, 2026 until further notice. The announced amount is USD 35 per 20DRY and USD 70 per 40DRY or 40HDRY. For non-Spot cargo, non-FMC PCD uses the first water leg’s scheduled departure shown at booking confirmation, while FMC PCD uses the last container gate-in date.

Before approving a quote or invoice:

• Confirm the tariff origin is Sierra Leone.
• Identify the affected Maersk water leg.
• List each container and equipment type.
• Calculate the DCO per container, not per bill or TEU.
• Confirm Spot or non-Spot status.
• Confirm FMC or non-FMC treatment.
• Name the precise PCD event and date.
• Retain confirmations, amendments, and gate-in records.
• Separate DCO from ocean freight and other local charges.
• Reconfirm after equipment, route, schedule, or container-count changes.

Frequently asked questions:

Is a 40-foot container charged as two 20-foot containers? No. The notice lists USD 70 per covered 40DRY or 40HDRY container.

Does a quotation issued before October 10 preserve the old rate? Not by itself. The applicable PCD event controls the tariff retrieval for non-Spot bookings.

Did Maersk shorten Sierra Leone free time? The announcement introduces DCO but does not state that free time changed. Check any free-time or storage schedule separately.

Official source and document support

The controlling public source is Maersk’s September 9, 2026 Sierra Leone DCO announcement. Recheck the carrier tariff, booking confirmation, and applicable contract when cargo is ready because the notice continues until further notice and other charges may apply.

For internal review, use a one-page control sheet with the booking number, tariff origin, destination, equipment list, container count, Spot status, FMC status, PCD event, PCD date, DCO calculation, other cost lines, source URL, and check date. YANCHAO can support this document organization and discrepancy follow-up without representing the carrier’s tariff decision as its own.