US plans new port fees on foreign ships, prompting shipping industry worries

The US has announced a new proposal to impose port fees on foreign ships as part of its shipbuilding revival project, prompting renewed concerns among shipowners about inflation and market distortions.

On Feb. 13, the White House unveiled "America's Maritime Action Plan" that includes a "universal infrastructure or security fee" on commercial ships built in foreign countries, which will be contributed to "Maritime Security Trust Fund" to support US shipbuilding and other maritime projects.

Without detailing the fee structure, the White House stated this proposal could involve a fee of 1 cent per kilogram on foreign-built ships, yielding roughly $66 billion in revenue over 10 years, or a fee of 25 cents per kilogram, yielding close to $1.5 trillion.

"As foreign-built vessels benefit from U.S. market access, this policy ensures they contribute to the long-term revitalization of America's maritime capabilities," according to the plan.

The International Chamber of Shipping, representing over 80% of the world's merchant fleet via national shipowners' organization, said it would support US plans to strengthen maritime capacities but oppose any proposed port fees.

"The imposition of fees ... would represent a substantial additional cost burden on maritime transport," the ICS said in a statement Feb. 16.

"Such measures risk distorting trade, increasing costs for U.S. consumers and businesses, disrupting the smooth flow of global commerce, and could encourage retaliatory measures."

The new proposal came after Washington and Beijing were threatening to impose port fees on each other's tonnage before agreeing to a one-year truce as part of a broader US-China trade agreement last November.

The trade tensions caused short-term spikes in China-bound freight rates and many industry groups, such as American Petroleum Institute, lobbied heavily against the fees as they believed such schemes would lead to high logistics costs for US commodity and energy exporters as well container shippers.

Maritime revival

The Maritime Action Plan also includes policy proposals to revive the US shipbuilding capacity, with the White House noting only eight shipyards exist in the country that can build vessels greater than 400 feet in length.

The White House also plans to introduce deregulatory measures, strengthen the maritime industrial base, and create a Strategic Commercial Fleet of US-built ships for the country's military and commercial logistics on international routes.

The action plan involves many proposals requiring budgetary approval and the White House said it will compile a legislative package as part of fiscal year 2027 budget for Congress approval.

"The Trump administration urges Congress to enact this package in tandem with existing legislative vehicles, ensuring the US maritime industry is equipped to meet the demands of global competition, national defense and economic growth," according to the plan.