Trump administration reveals new charges for Chinese vessels arriving at U.S. ports.

Shipping containers are stacked on a cargo ship as they are offloaded at PortMiami on April 15, 2025, in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images The Trump administration on Thursday announced fees on Chinese-built vessels after a United States Trade Representative investigation by the Biden-Trump administrations found that China’s acts, policies, and practices were unreasonable and imposed burdens on U.S. commerce.

“Ships and shipping are vital to American economic security and the free flow of commerce,” said U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. “The Trump administration’s actions will begin to reverse Chinese dominance, address threats to the U.S. supply chain, and send a demand signal for U.S.-built ships.”

The USTR indicated that China’s dominance was largely achieved through aggressive targeting of specific sectors, severely disadvantaging U.S. companies, workers, and the economy. The fees will be applied once per voyage instead of per port, as was initially proposed.

This policy proposal, initiated under the Biden administration and culminating in a January report, concluded that China’s shipbuilding industry held an unfair advantage. It permits the U.S. government to impose significant levies on Chinese-made ships arriving at U.S. ports. The initial proposal suggested a service fee of up to $1 million for each Chinese-owned operator, such as Cosco. For non-Chinese-owned ocean carriers with fleets that include Chinese-built vessels, a service fee of up to $1.5 million was proposed for each U.S. port of call.

The USTR acknowledged that adjustments were made in response to public feedback during two days of hearings in March, where over 300 trade groups and interested parties provided testimony. Many expressed concerns that the U.S. was not in a position to succeed in an economic conflict that placed ocean carriers utilizing Chinese-made vessels in a challenging position. Chinese-made vessels are projected to represent 98% of the trade ships on the world’s oceans.

Vessel owners may be eligible for a remission of the fees if they can demonstrate proof of a U.S. shipbuilding order. The remission would be based on a net tonnage capacity equal to or less than the ordered U.S.-built vessel. “If a prospective vessel owner does not take delivery of the U.S.-built vessel ordered within three years, the fees will become due immediately,” the report stated.

Fee Schedule
For the first 180 days, the fees are set at zero and categorized based on the net tonnage of a vessel. Container vessels can range from 50,000 to 220,000 tons.

Service Fee on Chinese Vessel Operators and Vessel Owners of China:
– Effective as of April 17, 2025, a fee of $0 per net ton for the arriving vessel.
– Effective as of October 14, 2025, a fee of $50 per net ton for the arriving vessel.
– Effective as of April 17, 2026, a fee of $80 per net ton for the arriving vessel.
– Effective as of April 17, 2027, a fee of $110 per net ton for the arriving vessel.
– Effective as of April 17, 2028, a fee of $140 per net ton for the arriving vessel.

The fee will be charged up to five times per year, per vessel, with no individual pricing detailed for containers.

Service fees on vessel operators of Chinese-Built vessels are lower:
– Effective as of April 17, 2025, a fee of $0 for each container discharged.
– Effective as of October 14, 2025, a fee of $18 per net ton ($120 per container).
– Effective as of April 17, 2026, a fee of $23 per net ton ($153 per container).
– Effective as of April 17, 2027, a fee of $28 per net ton ($195 per container).
– Effective as of April 17, 2028, a fee of $33 per net ton ($250 per container).

The fee will be charged up to five times per year, per vessel.

Fees on foreign-built car carrier vessels will also be based on their capacity, beginning at $150 per Car Equivalent Unit (CEU) in 180 days. The second phase of actions targeting LNG vessels will not commence for three years and will gradually increase restrictions on transporting LNG via foreign vessels over 22 years.

Ocean carriers that provide proof of ordering a U.S.-built vessel will have fees or restrictions on an equivalent non-U.S.-built vessel suspended for up to three years. Fees on Chinese-built ships will not apply to Great Lakes or Caribbean shipping, nor to shipping to and from U.S. territories. Bulk exports such as coal or grain will be exempt, as will empty ships arriving at the ports.