Chinese-Built Ship Fees Set to Resume November 9
Shipping lines using Chinese-built vessels on US routes should model fees returning after the suspension ends.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in International Trade
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The US Trade Representative's one-year suspension of Section 301 maritime fees on Chinese-built vessels expires November 9, and the USTR has proposed extending it by two months. The fees, originally proposed at $1.5 million per US port call, would have raised costs for shipping lines serving US trade routes, including Caribbean carriers.
Why it matters
The suspension has kept shipping costs from rising for operators that rely on Chinese-built vessels for US trade, and its expiration would reintroduce a steep per-call charge. The USTR says a further extension would give it time to negotiate with China over practices it links to Chinese domination of maritime trade.
The original fee was set at $1.5 million per US port call by a Chinese-built vessel, against which Bermuda Container Line, with total annual revenues of about $30 million, estimated $76 million per year in charges for weekly calls. The Caricom Private Sector Organisation, representing 6,250 firms, has asked that smaller-vessel exemptions continue.
The players
Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)
The US federal agency that sets and enforces trade policy, including Section 301 actions against foreign trade practices.
Bermuda Container Line
A shipping line that carries US goods to Bermuda aboard Chinese-built vessels, with annual revenues of about $30 million.
Caricom Private Sector Organisation (CPSO)
The umbrella business body representing 6,250 firms across the Caribbean Community, which requested that the vessel exemption continue.
The details
The fees took effect October 14, 2025, targeting vessels built in China, but were suspended less than a month later. The USTR published a proposal in the Federal Register on October 26 to extend the suspension by two months. The US also exempted smaller vessels and voyages of less than 2,000 nautical miles, a carve-out announced weeks after the fees were first proposed. Carriers such as Bermuda Container Line, which imports US goods aboard the Chinese-built MV Oleander, would have absorbed the fees directly on their US port calls.
Timeline
October 14, 2025: Section 301 maritime fees took effect on Chinese-built vessels.
April 2025: Bermuda Container Line testified at a USTR hearing against the fees.
October 26: USTR published its extension proposal in the Federal Register.
November 9: The year-long suspension expires.
Market Landscape
The fees are an application of Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to the shipping sector, extending a statute the USTR has used for tariffs on goods to vessels and port calls. Caribbean carriers and business groups, which depend on Chinese-built ships for US-linked trade, sit on the side of the market most exposed to the policy's timing.
Shipping operators and importers relying on Chinese-built vessels should model the possibility of per-call fees returning after November 9 and review freight contracts for cost pass-through terms. Caribbean businesses should track the USTR's final decision on the extension and any changes to the 2,000 nautical mile exemption.
The takeaway
Operators should calendar November 9 and monitor the Federal Register for the USTR's final extension decision. Freight contracts that do not address a sudden reinstatement of per-call fees should be reviewed before that date.
What happens next
The year-long suspension expires November 9, and the USTR's proposed two-month extension will determine whether fees resume on that date.
Further reading
For the wider policy background, explore our coverage of International Trade.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Royal Gazette.
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