U.S. softens fees on Chinese shipping

The United States is following through on its plan to charge port fees on Chinese ships. U.S. Customs and Border Protection finally provided last-minute details on the new vessel fees that take effect Oct. 14, 2025. A fee of $50 per net ton will be applied on vessels owned or operated by Chinese entities. Another fee of either $18 per net ton or $120 per container discharged, whichever is higher, will be applied to all Chinese-built vessels. The new charges are in response to a U.S. Trade Representative investigation into China’s dominance of the global shipbuilding sector that was launched at the behest of five national labour unions. The recently announced fees are far more palatable for shippers than the USTR’s original proposal, which included charging a flat fee of $1 to $1.5 million per port entry. Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition, said the fees only apply to container ships. Bulk vessels are excluded. Approximately 25 per cent ...