The proposed fee structure put forward by the US Trade Representative, aimed at ships built in China, has the potential to significantly disrupt competition among the major liner operators serving US ports. Under the new plan, vessels built in China could face fees of up to $1.5 million per port call, as reported by Global Maritime Hub.
Alphaliner has noted that the impact of these fees will vary greatly across different carriers. While some operators may be minimally affected, others—such as ZIM and CMA CGM—could see substantial financial consequences.
To evaluate the potential impact of this fee structure, Alphaliner analyzed the port calls of container ships with a capacity of over 1,000 TEU operated by the top 10 carriers at the 20 largest US ports in February. In total, Alphaliner recorded 1,002 port calls, 190 of which involved Chinese-built vessels, representing 19% of all calls. These 190 calls were made by 488 different ships.
Although the fee structure is being introduced in response to China’s dominant position in global maritime trade, the analysis reveals that most container ships serving the US were built in South Korea (54.5%). Ships built in China rank second (20.9%), followed by Japan at 12.3%.
Alphaliner also pointed out that the impact of the proposed fees will differ significantly depending on the carrier. For example, Evergreen, which made 53 calls to US ports in February, did not deploy any Chinese-built vessels. Similarly, HMM (with 15 calls) used only South Korean-built ships. Yang Ming, which made 23 calls, had only one call involving a Chinese-built vessel—the 12,726 TEU YM Truth, which was built in 2020 by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and chartered from Costamare for a call at Tacoma.
While the fee structure may target China’s dominance in the maritime sector, its impact will vary widely across carriers. Some will see little to no effect, while others, particularly those reliant on Chinese-built vessels, could face significant costs, Alphaliner added.
