In further retaliation, the Trump administration recently imposed new docking fees for Chinese-built ships entering U.S. ports. This action strikes directly at China’s growing influence in worldwide shipping. Beginning on April 17, 2025, the administration will implement a completely different fee regime. This forward-looking initiative will bolster U.S. shipbuilding and address mounting threats to the American supply chain.
Initially, for the first 180 days, the fee will be set at zero dollars per net ton for arriving vessels, allowing a grace period for shipping companies. The purpose of this initial phase is to minimize acute effects first. We’re moving to a more predictable fee schedule for per-article downloads that’s similar to the preprint model, coming into play in mid-2025.
This will change, starting on October 14, 2025, when a new “vessel builder” policy will begin to apply an $18/net ton fee on vessels constructed in China. This fee will cost consumers around $120 per container. This fee will be phased in over the next few years. By April 17, 2026 it will increase to $23 per net ton—equal to $153 per container. Then, by April 17, 2027, it would increase further to $28 per net ton or $195 per container. The last such increase is scheduled to occur on April 17, 2028 – by then the rate will have risen to $33 per net ton ($250 per container).
So we welcome the administration’s announcement of new measures. This new action comes on the heels of a U.S. Trade Representative Section 301 investigation that found China’s unreasonable acts, policies, and practices had caused harm to U.S. commerce. The investigation revealed that Chinese dominance in shipping has been achieved through aggressive targeting of specific sectors, significantly disadvantaging American companies and workers.
To encourage more investment in U.S. shipbuilding, the administration has included several new provisions. These new provisions will enable ocean carriers to avoid these fees or limits for non-U.S.-built vessels, so long as they demonstrate that they have placed an order for a U.S.-built vessel. This program is intended to drive domestic production and job creation in this key emerging industry.
The Trump administration’s actions are part of a broader strategy to reverse the trend of Chinese dominance in global shipping, which has seen Chinese-made vessels set to represent 98% of trade ships on the world’s oceans in the near future.
“Ships and shipping are vital to American economic security and the free flow of commerce,” – U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
After an initial grace period of 180 days, the administration will begin charging importers a fee of $150 per Car Equivalent Unit (CEU) for vessels built in China. This charge would be on top of the per net ton fees already established. This new layer of fees further illustrates the administration’s commitment to leveling the playing field for U.S. companies.
These exorbitant fees are the culmination of an extreme shift in U.S. maritime policy. They are seeking to clarify the signal the demand for U.S.-built ships and to better defend our national economic interests. This integrated strategy serves to counteract the harmful effects of foreign competitive pressure. It creates robust supply chains onshore, revitalizing many industries that have felt the impact of offshoring in recent years.
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