Emily Huggins Jones, Daniel Gorman, and Ryan Last’s article, “USTR Proposes Port Fees and Cargo Preference Measures to Counter China’s Maritime ‎Dominance,” was quoted in the March 21, 2025 Agriculture.com article, “Proposed U.S. Port Fees on China Ships Already Hitting Ag Exports.”

Troutman Pepper Locke reported that the Trump administration’s proposal includes “a service fee [that] will be imposed on vessel operators from China, requiring payment of up to $1 million per entry into a U.S. port or up to $1,000 per net ton of the vessel’s capacity. In practice, most ships are expected to incur the maximum $1 million fee per port call. If a vessel makes multiple stops at U.S. ports, the operator will be required to pay this fee for each entry.”

In addition, “a service fee of up to $1.5 million per port call will apply to any operator with a vessel constructed in China or a fleet that includes such vessels, regardless of their flag or operator nationality,” Troutman Pepper Locke reported. “Even if a specific ship was not built in China, its operator may still be subject to the fee based on the overall composition of their fleet.”

“The amount assessed is proportional to the percentage of Chinese-built ships within the fleet,” Troutman Pepper Locke reported. “For instance, operators whose fleets consist of at least 50% Chinese-built vessels will face a fee of up to $1 million per vessel for each U.S. port entry. Those with 25–50% Chinese-built vessels will be charged up to $750,000 per entry per vessel, while operators with less than 25% Chinese-built ships will pay up to $500,000 per vessel per entry.”

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