The United States plans to implement new port entry fees targeting vessels that are Chinese-owned, operated, or built, starting 14 October 2025.
These charges, introduced by the US Trade Representative (USTR), will initially be set at $50 per net tonne and will increase gradually to $140 per net tonne by 2028.
The fees primarily focus on vessels with Chinese control and are expected to affect global shipping routes while supporting US maritime priorities.
For vessels constructed in China but not under Chinese ownership or control, a different fee structure applies: operators will pay the greater of $18 per net tonne or $120 per container initially, rising to $33 per net ton or $250 per container by 2028.
The fee is capped at five vessel rotations annually, and applies only once per inbound voyage regardless of how many US ports are visited. Exemptions exist for smaller vessels and certain short-haul trades, so the impact may vary among operators.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is collaborating closely with the US Treasury to finalise the payment process and enforcement measures. Vessels that fail to pay these fees risk being prohibited from discharging cargo or denied clearance to depart until payment is confirmed.
Lars Jensen, CEO of Vespucci Maritime, estimates that for a typical COSCO containership with approximately 13,000 TEU capacity, the initial fee would translate to about $3.25 million per round trip, or roughly $250 per TEU. By 2028, this could escalate to $8.4 million per voyage, around $646 per TEU.
Jensen highlights that these measures are likely to prompt carriers such as COSCO and OOCL to reconsider their service patterns and could trigger broader realignments in global shipping alliances. Already, non-Chinese operators appear to be shifting US-bound capacity to unaffected vessels.
While the fee schedule is less severe than earlier proposals that suggested a flat fee of $1.5 million per port call, it still represents a significant change in logistic costs.
The exemptions for ships under 4,000 TEU and for certain limited-voyage trades are expected to boost regional transshipment hubs in the Caribbean and Mexico and may encourage more frequent use of smaller vessels on selected routes.
Overall, these fees are seen as accelerating network adjustments, vessel redeployments, and fuelled calls to increase US-flagged shipbuilding capacity, although competing globally in ship construction remains a substantial challenge for the US.
