The special port fees will be imposed on US vessels berthing at Chinese ports, initially charged USD 56 per net tonne from October 14 and increasing annually on April 17 for the subsequent three years.
With the US port fees on Chinese vessels coming into effect, China’s Ministry of Transport has outlined measures to charge ‘special port fees’ on ships owned or operated by US enterprises, organisations, and individuals. It clarifies specific provisions on the charging scope and standards, entities to collect the fees, payable voyages, the date of implementation, and other relevant aspects.
The Ministry stated that exemptions will be granted to ships built by China, empty ships entering Chinese shipyards purely for repair purposes, and other ships that are deemed exempt from payment. It also noted that the scope and standards of fees, and the charging period will be dynamically adjusted in line with the situation at the time of implementation.
China’s Transport Ministry said the special port fees is a justified move to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese maritime industry and enterprises while ensuring a fair competition environment for the international shipping industry. It highlighted that the US actions have seriously violated WTO rules and the China-US maritime transport agreement and caused severe disruption to maritime trade between the two countries.
Lu Daliang, spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs of China, said the US measures to levy port fees on China-linked ships are typical unilateralist and protectionist actions with clear discriminatory characteristics, while China’s countermeasures are necessary and defensive moves.
Moreover, the Chinese Transport Ministry highlighted that the special port fees will be imposed on US vessels berthing at Chinese ports, initially charged USD 56 per net tonne from October 14 and increasing annually on April 17 for the subsequent three years. The special port fees on eligible US vessels berthing at Chinese ports will be charged USD 90 per ton starting from April 17, 2026 and USD 123 per ton starting from April 17, 2027 and USD 157 per ton starting from April 17, 2028.
Collection of special port fees for the same vessel shall not exceed five voyages within one year, and April 17 of each year shall serve as the commencement date of the annual billing cycle. The ministry added that the shipowner or its agent shall, seven days prior to the vessel’s estimated arrival at a Chinese port, report relevant information, including country of build, flag and owner to the maritime administration authority at the port of destination, and pay the fees.
Following this, the maritime administration authority at the respective port of destination shall verify all pre-arrival vessel information. If underreporting or omission of the information is detected, the vessel owner or its agent shall be required to supplement the reported information. Failures to comply with these measures, including failure to fully the fees, shall result in the maritime administration authority prohibiting the vessel from processing /exit formalities. It added that vessels that evade payment shall settle outstanding fees before their next port docking in China.
