Overview

• Washington began collecting per-ton charges on China-linked vessels on October 14, with fees assessed per U.S. port call and capped at five charges per ship each year with staged increases through 2028.
• Beijing started levying special fees on U.S.-owned, operated, built, or flagged ships, exempting China-built vessels and collecting at the first Chinese port of entry for a single voyage or the first five voyages within a year starting April 17.
• The U.S. also imposed steep new tariffs on Chinese-made port cranes and equipment that can lift effective rates to about 270%, and it revised fee rules for vehicle carriers while allowing some payments to be deferred until December 10.
• Analysts say costs will be significant, with Reuters reporting COSCO could absorb nearly half of a projected $3.2 billion container-segment hit in 2026 and Jefferies estimating double-digit shares of global tanker and container fleets will be affected.
• Industry groups warn the new costs will pressure U.S. exporters and importers, and carriers are planning workarounds such as route shifts and ship swaps that redeploy Chinese-built vessels away from U.S.-bound services.