US Proposes Two-Month Extension to Port Fee Pause on Chinese Ships
The United States Trade Representative has proposed extending by two months the suspension of port fees on Chinese-linked ships. The delay puts off higher shipping costs for American metals and coal exporters, according to a Federal Register public inspection document posted late last week.
USTR suspended the fee, which targets China's maritime, logistics and shipping sectors, for one year through 9 November 2026 as part of a US-China trade deal. It now proposes to extend the suspension through 9 January 2027. The notice is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on 26 October. Platts first reported the likely extension on 20 October.
"The United States is continuing to engage with China with the goal of obtaining the elimination of the acts, policies, and practices at issue in the investigation," the document says. It adds that the Trade Representative is therefore proposing to suspend the responsive actions for a further two months.
Which fees are paused
The suspended measures include a fee on vessels owned or operated by Chinese entities and a separate fee on Chinese-built vessels. The initial rates were $50 per net ton per voyage for Chinese-owned or operated ships. For Chinese-built vessels the rates were $18 per net ton or $120 per container discharged. Net tons are equivalent to short tons.
The revised fees are less stringent than USTR's first proposal, which would have charged up to $1.5 million each time a Chinese-built vessel entered a US port.
Coal industry concerns
The fee proposal caused alarm in the coal industry when it was first announced in early 2025. Coal producers rely on exports as domestic consumption declines, and they have few alternatives to Chinese-built ships.
A July 2026 report on US coal exports from the National Coal Council recommended that the Trump administration make the suspension permanent. The council said the measures would raise transportation costs, reduce vessel availability and undermine the competitiveness of US coal exports.
The proposed extension follows a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in September. The two leaders are expected to meet again in November.
Source: Hellenic Shipping News