On 13 February 2026 the White House released America’s “Maritime Action Plan”, setting out policy directions for a range of maritime initiatives under consideration by U.S. authorities, including port service fees on Chinese ship owners and operators and owners of Chinese-built ships calling at U.S. ports, and potential further port-related levies.
The Maritime Action Plan covers a broad range of policy areas relating to the U.S. commercial maritime sector, including shipbuilding, workforce development, port infrastructure and trade-related measures. The document also refers to continued diplomatic engagement with US Allies and trading partners to ensure alignment with key goals for promoting US shipbuilding, and under the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade Framework to secure commitments related to shipping and shipbuilding.
The Plan addresses some of the themes previously raised during the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) Section 301 investigation, including the 2025 announcement of port service fees on Chinese ship owners and operators and owners of Chinese-built ships calling at U.S. ports.
NorthStandard analysed those developments at the time, further information is available on our dedicated US Tariffs webpage: /us-tariffs-trade.
As previously reported, following trade negotiations between the United States and China, on 30 October 2025 the countries agreed to a suspension of port service fees each had imposed on the other during 2025. This one year “truce” was implemented on 10 November 2025 and remains in effect.
Additional port-related levies are referenced in the Maritime Action Plan as a “Recommended Policy Action”, as follows:
Establish a Universal Fee on Foreign-Built Vessels from any Nation Entering U.S. Ports. Impose a universal infrastructure or security fee on all foreign-built commercial vessels calling at U.S. ports, to be assessed on the weight of the imported tonnage arriving on the vessel. A fee of 1 cent per kilogram on foreign-built ships would yield roughly $66 billion in revenue over ten years and a fee of 25 cents per kilogram would yield close to $1.5 trillion in revenue, which could be used for the Maritime Security Trust Fund. As foreign-built vessels benefit from U.S. market access, this policy ensures they contribute to the long-term revitalization of America’s maritime capabilities.
We are not aware of any detailed basis for these figures or any draft legislation or implementation framework being published.
We will continue to monitor developments and provide further updates as additional information becomes available.
Source: NorthStandard
