BEIJING: Vessels owned or operated by US firms and individuals – or those built in the United States or that fly the US flag – will be charged additional port fees per voyage starting on Oct 14, China’s transport ministry said.
The fees are a countermeasure against upcoming US port fees on Chinese ships, the ministry said on Friday (Oct 10).
Also starting on Oct 14, ships built in China – or operated or owned by Chinese entities – will need to pay a fee at their first port of call in the United States. Fees could top US$1 million for a ship carrying more than 10,000 containers, and could rise annually through 2028, according to analyst estimates.
Vessels owned or operated by a Chinese entity will face a flat fee of US$80 per net tonnage per voyage to the US.
The US fees on China-linked vessels, following a probe by the US Trade Representative (USTR), are part of a broader US effort to revive domestic shipbuilding and blunt China’s naval and commercial shipping power.
“It is clearly discriminatory and severely damages the legitimate interests of China’s shipping industry, seriously disrupts the stability of the global supply chain, and seriously undermines the international economic and trade order,” the Chinese ministry said.
Over the past two decades, China has catapulted itself to the number one position in the shipbuilding world, with its biggest shipyards handling both commercial and military projects.
The Chinese fees on US vessels could hurt the US less than the US fees to be heaped on the legion of Chinese ships.
Last year, Chinese shipyards built more than 1,000 commercial vessels, while the US constructed fewer than 10, according to military and industry analysts.
For US vessels berthing at Chinese ports from Oct 14, the rate will be 400 yuan (US$56.13) per net tonne, the Chinese transport ministry said.
That will increase to 640 yuan (US$89.81) from Apr 17, 2026, and to 880 yuan (US$123.52) from Apr 17, 2027.
For vessels calling at Chinese ports from Apr 17, 2028, the charge will be 1,120 yuan (US$157.16) per net tonne.
