U.S. Adjusts Port Fees on China-Built Ships

As of April 20, 2025, the United States has proposed a revised policy on port fees for Chinese-built and operated ships docking at U.S. ports, scaling back earlier proposals after significant pushback from the global maritime industry.

The Trump administration’s plan, aimed at reviving U.S. shipbuilding and countering China’s dominance in the sector, initially proposed fees as high as $1.5 million per port call. However, following concerns about supply chain disruptions and rising consumer prices, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) finalized a more moderate fee structure, effective April 17, 2025. We confirm the most important developments as follows:

1. Starting October 14, 2025, Chinese-owned and operated vessels will face fees of $50 per net ton, increasing annually by $30 over the next three years.
2. The fees will be based on specific vessel calls and will no longer be targeted on fleet composition.
3. For Chinese-built ships operated by non-Chinese firms, fees begin at $18 per net ton ($120 per container), with $5 annual increases. These fees, capped at five charges per vessel per year, are significantly lower than the original $1.5 million flat fee per port call, which industry leaders warned could cost carriers billions and disrupt trade.
4. A number of exclusions have been incorporated as follows:
   1. The fees imposed in this Annex do not apply to U.S. government cargo.
   2. The fees imposed in this Annex do not apply to the following Chinese-built vessels:
      1. vessels arriving empty or in ballast;
      2. vessels with a capacity of equal to or less than: 4,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units, 55,000 deadweight tons, or an individual bulk capacity of 80,000 deadweight tons;
      3. vessels entering a U.S. port in the continental United States from a voyage of less than 2,000 nautical miles from a foreign port or point;
      4. specialized or special purpose-built vessels for the transport of chemical substances in bulk liquid forms;

We refer to a full copy of the text of the USTR Announcement, available here.

We note that these proposed port fees are now significantly moderated from the prior proposals and in particular for NNPC members are likely to have limited impact. The NNPC is considering the full text of the Announcement and invites members with questions to contact our claims team via claims@nnpc.nl.