/Reuters Agency
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it will modify certain maritime tariffs applicable to vehicle carriers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers built abroad, before the port tariffs for vessels linked to China come into effect on Tuesday, October 14.
In a statement, the USTR indicated that the additional costs for foreign car carrier operators will be 46 dollars per net ton. This figure is below the 150 dollars per net ton originally proposed in April – considered prohibitive by the industry – but well above the June 12th proposal of 14 dollars per net ton.
The USTR is also eliminating, retroactive to April 17, a provision that allowed for the suspension of LNG export licenses if certain restrictions on the use of vessels built abroad were not met. Furthermore, it added a tariff exemption for certain ethane and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers under long-term lease contracts.
The entity proposed these measures in February to counter China’s growing maritime dominance and revitalize the US shipbuilding industry. However, its original ideas were largely softened under pressure from the sector, which considered them excessively punitive and argued that they would have hindered the revival of shipbuilding in the United States.
It is worth mentioning that Beijing retaliated against the US port tariffs. China announced that it will impose levies on port calls by vessels built or registered in the United States, as well as those belonging to companies in which US investment funds hold at least 25% of the shares or board seats.
