The U.S Trade Representative (USTR) has proposed Section 301 service fees targeting China’s maritime sector. VesselBot has quantified the potential impact these measures would have on major carriers and U.S. trade flows.

VesselBot’s analysis reveals significant financial exposure for major container shipping lines under the USTR’s proposed Section 301 service fees. While these measures are still under consideration by the U.S. government and may not ultimately be enforced, this research quantifies the potential impact on carriers serving U.S. ports and the downstream implications for American importers and exporters.

Key points of the analysis include:

Chinese-Built Vessel Impact on U.S. Trade

• In 2024, a total of 26,811,264.5 TEU (capacity * load) were imported to the U.S., of which 5,520,449 TEU belonged to Chinese-built vessels. This corresponds to 20.5 percent of total TEU imported to the U.S.
• The total vessel TEU capacity of all vessels arriving at U.S. ports in 2024 was 34,264,914, of which 12,808,567 belonged to Chinese-built vessels, equal to 37.38 percent of total vessel TEU capacity of all ships arriving at U.S. ports.

Major Carrier Exposure Based on Chinese-Built Vessel Percentages

• Maersk: 2,020 annual U.S. port calls with 27.68 percent Chinese-built vessels, subject to approximately $760,000 per port call for Chinese-built vessels.
• CMA CGM: 1,469 annual U.S. port calls with 35.91 percent Chinese-built vessels, subject to approximately $760,000 per port call for Chinese-built vessels.
• COSCO: 838 annual U.S. port calls with 52.19 percent Chinese-built vessels, subject to fees up to $1 million per port call as both a Chinese operator (Category 1) and for Chinese-built vessels (Category 2).
• X-Press Feeders: 506 annual U.S. port calls with 40.94 percent Chinese-built vessels, subject to approximately $760,000 per port call for Chinese-built vessels.

Vessel Class Considerations

• COSCO’s Neo-Panamax vessels face the highest per-vessel fees at approximately $147,013 per DWT ton.
• Vessel size significantly impacts fee exposure under the tonnage-based calculation option.
• The average fee for COSCO vessels calculated by tonnage could reach $125,306 per port call.

Cumulative Financial Impact Projections

• Of the global container fleet of approximately 6,000 vessels, a significant portion would be subject to these fees when calling at U.S. ports.
• Chinese operator COSCO faces dual exposure under Categories 1 and 2, potentially doubling their fee burden for Chinese-built vessels.
• Based on current port call volumes and fee structures, major carriers could face annual fee exposure in the billions of dollars.

Shipper Implications

• Fee structures will likely result in significant cost pass-through to U.S. importers and exporters.
• Carriers may implement surcharges or restructure services to mitigate financial impact.
• U.S. port calls could be consolidated or reduced to minimize fee exposure.

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