China’s Hede Shipping has cut one of its two transpacific services ahead of the October 14 introduction of increased American port fees on China-linked tonnage.
Hede is a niche, opportunistic player on the transpacific. Its last sailing of its HDS2 service has already departed Asia, leaving it with just the original HDS service on the Pacific. The HDS2 service used six ships with an average size of 2,000 teu.
The US Trade Representative is due to impose port fees from October 14, though the final rules remain unpublished. US Customs & Border Protection is working on a collection system.
The opaqueness of the incoming legislation has led some to argue that, like other negotiating tactics that the Donald Trump trade team has adopted this year, the October 14 deadline may well be extended, or even scrapped.
“Not everyone is convinced that the October 14 USTR port call fees on China-made vessels and operators will materialise, as the issue may be part of the ongoing US-China negotiations,” commented Judah Levine, head of research at Freightos, a box booking platform in a note to clients earlier this month.
