USTR Port Fees on Chinese-Built Ships
The USTR Port Fees on Chinese-Built Ships are Section 301 fees on vessels owned or operated by Chinese entities, or built in China, calling at US ports, adopted in April 2025 and suspended for one year from November 2025.
What it requires
USTR's April 17, 2025 action set fees from October 14, 2025: $50 per net ton for Chinese-owned or operated vessels, rising yearly, and for other operators' Chinese-built vessels the higher of $18 per net ton or $120 per discharged container, rising through 2028, up to five times a year per vessel, with exemptions such as ships of 4,000 TEU or less. Under a US-China deal the fees were suspended from November 10, 2025 for one year and are due to resume November 10, 2026 unless USTR extends the suspension.
Why it matters
The fees would raise container shipping costs for importers if they resume, because carriers pass such charges through as surcharges. Carriers began reshuffling vessel deployments in 2025 to limit exposure. For example, a container line paying $120 or more per discharged box on a Chinese-built ship would build that cost into freight rates, which importers would see in quotes and invoices. Importers should watch for a USTR notice before November 10, 2026, since the broader US-China truce was extended to January 10, 2027 but the fee suspension needs its own notice.
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Not legal advice.