On 17th April 2025, the US Trade Representative introduced the US port fees, on: (i) Chinese built ships – they will be effective as of 14 October 2025, and shall be USD18 a ton or USD120 per container and also rise over the next three years, (ii) Chinese ship owners and operators, which will initially be charged (starting from 14 October 2025) USD50 per ton of cargo, rising by USD30 a ton each year for the next three years.
The fees will be applied once per voyage (and not per port, as originally proposed) on affected ships and not more than five times a year. Vessels that move goods between American ports as well as from those ports to Caribbean islands and US territories are also exempted, as are Chinese built ships that call at ports in the Great Lakes or have a capacity of less than: 4.000 TEU, 55.000 deadweight tons, or an individual bulk capacity of 80.000 deadweight tons.
In case of any questions, please contact Rafał Czyżyk – Managing Partner (rczyzyk@cmwlegal.pl).