Importers Face Added Costs As US Targets China Shipbuilding With Port Fees

The United States will begin charging port fees on China‐manufactured ships starting next week.

• After facing strong opposition, including from PPAI, during a public hearing, the office of the United States Trade Representative changed its approach to proposed remedies under its Section 301 investigation on China shipbuilding.
• Concerns raised during the hearing were increased costs, supply chain disruption, impact on agriculture and a lack of direct benefit to U.S. shipbuilding.
• Many pointed out that the U.S. shipbuilding sector lacks capacity to replace Chinese-built vessels anytime soon, making the policy more punitive than productive.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently issued guidance regarding the Section 301 China-built vessel fees. The guidance notes that, “The burden for determining if a vessel owes the fee is on the operator, NOT CBP.” It’s important to note that because the fees have to be paid by the ocean carrier, the guidance is directed to the carriers.

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As of October 14, the new fees for Chinese vessel owners and operators are:

• $50 per net ton for the arriving vessel, effective Oct. 14, 2025
• $80 per net ton for the arriving vessel, effective April 17, 2026
• $110 per net ton for the arriving vessel, effective April 17, 2027
• $140 per net ton for the arriving vessel, effective April 17, 2028
• There are also per-container fees.

Fees on China-built vessels from non-Chinese carriers are lower and also feature a per-container charge. The per-ton fees are:

• $18 per net ton, effective Oct. 14, 2025
• $23 per net ton, effective April 17, 2026
• $28 per net ton, effective April 17, 2027
• $33 per net ton, effective April 17, 2028

In response, China has implemented changes to its own shipping law, allowing it to levy its own special fees and restrict vessels of countries accused of targeting its shipping operations. This could potentially target U.S.-flag vessels or any country where there is U.S. investment in shipbuilding.

If a carrier like CMA removes all of its Chinese-manufactured vessels from U.S. trade, that’s a significant impact to the ocean marketplace.”

John Janson

VP of Global Logistics, SanMar

As recently as a couple weeks ago, carriers were scrambling to prepare, according to John Janson, vice president of global logistics at SanMar – PPAI 100’s No. 1 supplier, which accounted for an estimated $4.2 billion in revenue in 2024.

“Many carriers aren’t even sure how they’re going to charge for this,” Janson told PPAI Media. “We think it could be anywhere between $120-$200 a container. That’s another thing that’s going to change capacity. If a carrier like CMA removes all of its Chinese-manufactured vessels from U.S. trade, that’s a significant impact to the ocean marketplace.”

Janson adds that because SanMar has built long-term strategic relationships with carriers, it’s well positioned to endure the impact of global supply chain disruption. “SanMar plays the long game,” Janson says. “We don’t jump and move volume around from one place to another with carriers, so we get really good support from our carriers.”