USA To Commence New Fee Regime On China-Linked Vessels

12 Sep USA To Commence New Fee Regime On China-Linked Vessels

U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has been designated to collect a new fee regime targeting China-linked vessels, as authorised by a U.S. Trade Representative ruling.

This new fee regime targeting China-linked vessels is scheduled to commence rollout 14th October 2025. It will apply to both Chinese-owned/operators and Chinese-built ships, with non-payment potentially blocking cargo operations and port clearance via imminent operational bans.

Under the finalised policy, Chinese-owned or operated vessels will be charged starting at $50 per net tonne, escalating to $140 per tonne by April 2028. Non-Chinese operators of Chinese-built ships face lower fees – starting at $18 per tonne or $120 per container, rising to $33 per tonne or $250 per container, whichever yields more.

The fees are assessed on a per-voyage (or rotation) basis, capped at five chargeable port rotations per vessel per year, and apply only at the first port of call. Exemptions are granted for short-sea shipping, vessels under size thresholds, U.S.-owned ships, ballast voyages, and specialised export carriers.

CBP has confirmed that a new Pay.gov payment portal is under development for remittances. Failure to pay the charged service fee will risk operational denial – from offloading cargo to port entry and exit clearance.

This implementation follows industry feedback and revisions to earlier proposals that proposed multi-million-dollar flat fees per call on Chinese-built tankers.

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