The U.S. Trade Representative is expected to introduce steep fees—up to $1.5 million per port call—on vessels made in China or owned by carriers with such ships, starting April 17. In response, ocean carriers may skip smaller U.S. ports or shift capacity to other trade lanes entirely.
This could hurt jobs and raise costs for businesses relying on ports like Seattle, Oakland, and Baltimore, while overloading major hubs like LA and New York. A separate rule would require 15% of U.S. exports to ship on American-made, U.S.-crewed vessels within seven years—despite the country having just 23 such small, domestically focused ships.
Critics warn the plan could undermine U.S
Proposed U.S. shipping rules could disrupt trade and ports, industry warns – From April 17
