As the Oct. 14 date to begin U.S.-imposed port fees on Chinese-owned or Chinese-built vessels nears, on Friday, Oct. 10, China's Ministry of Transport announced the country will charge special port fees on ships owned or operated by U.S. enterprises, organizations and individuals starting Oct. 14.

USTR SECTION 301 SHIP FEES

On April 17, 2025, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced on their website they were taking targeted action to "restore American shipbuilding and address China's unreasonable acts, policies, and practices to dominate the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors."

After several public comment periods since the first announcement, USTR announced on Oct. 10, 2025, "Considering the public comments and the advice of the Section 301 Committee, the U.S. Trade Representative has determined to change the basis and rate of the service fee on vessel operators of foreign-built vehicle carriers. The U.S. Trade Representative has determined to change the basis of the service fee from a Car Equivalent Unit standard to net tons."

Regarding the fee rate, USTR in a press release said they determined to set the service fee rate to $46 (from $50) per net ton as of Oct. 14, 2025, and limit the total collection of this service fee to five times per calendar year, per vessel. "These modifications will address concerns regarding unfair manipulation of a Car Equivalent Unit and the establishment of a net ton rate that is too low, which would limit the effectiveness of the action, and will provide additional leverage to encourage China to eliminate the investigated acts, policies, and practices," said USTR in the Oct. 10 press release. Here is the USTR press release from Oct. 10 with the modifications and the deadline to submit comments on the modifications: https://ustr.gov/....

The unpublished version of modifications to certain aspects of the entire responsive action (to restore American shipbuilding that USTR took on April 17, 2025) mentioned in the Oct. 10 press release can be found here: https://ustr.gov/....

In addition, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Oct. 3 put out a notice that payments of fees must be made directly through the Department of Treasury's secure, official Pay.gov website and not at the Port of Entry. Vessels will need proof of payment, or they may be denied permission to unload and/or load. Here is a link to the notice but it does not contain the Oct. 10 update on fees. However, it does explain the payment process: https://content.govdelivery.com/....

CHINA RETALIATES

On Oct. 10, 2025, the Chinese Ministry of Transport announced they will impose special port fees on U.S. linked vessels beginning Oct. 14. In response to the April 17, 2025, announcement by USTR to that as of Oct. 14, 2025, port service fees will be added to ships owned or operated by Chinese companies, Chinese-flagged ships and Chinese-built ships. "This seriously violates the relevant principles of international trade and the China-U.S. Maritime Shipping Agreement and causes serious damage to maritime trade between China and the United States," noted the announcement.

As USTR Fees on Chinese Ships Near Implementation, China Hits Back