China to Levy Retaliatory Special Port Fees on US Vessels
China’s Ministry of Transport said Friday it will begin imposing special port service fees on U.S.-owned and -operated vessels calling at Chinese ports starting Oct. 14, in response to a similar move by the U.S.
The U.S. announced earlier plans to impose tiered fees on Chinese-built, owned or operated ships calling at its ports starting Oct. 14. China’s transport ministry said in its announcement that the U.S. move “seriously violates international trade principles and the U.S.-China maritime transport agreement” and “causes severe disruption to maritime trade between the two countries.”
The new Chinese measures, approved by the State Council, will apply to:
- Ships owned by U.S. companies, organizations or individuals;
- Ships operated by U.S. companies, organizations or individuals;
- Ships owned or operated by entities in which U.S. investors hold 25% or more equity, voting rights or board representation;
- Ships flying the U.S. flag; and
- Ships built in the U.S.
The special port service fees will be introduced in four escalating stages — starting at 400 yuan per net ton ($56/NT) from Oct. 14, 2025, rising to 640 yuan/NT from April 17, 2026, 880 yuan/NT from April 17, 2027, and reaching 1,120 yuan/NT from April 17, 2028.
A vessel calling at multiple Chinese ports on the same voyage will pay the fee only at its first port of call, and each vessel will be subject to no more than five such charges per year, according to the announcement.
The ministry said detailed implementation rules will be issued separately.
Oil and gas tankers are overwhelmingly built in Asia and largely owned by companies incorporated outside of the U.S.
According to an OPIS report in early October, Chinese-linked vessels will be subject to varying port service fees upon arrival at U.S. ports – $50/NT for Chinese-owned or operated ships, the higher of $18 per/NT or $120 per container for Chinese-built container vessels, and $14/NT for vehicle carriers, based on details released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
LNG carriers are exempt from these fees. China did not specify any exemptions in its announcement.
–Reporting by Lujia Wang, lwang@opis.com; Editing by Hanwei Wu, hwu@opis.com