Effective Immediately, China Implements Special Port Charges on Vessels Linked to the United States

The Ministry of Transport announced on its website that on the 14th its General Office issued the “Implementation Measures for the Collection of Special Port Charges on U.S.-Linked Vessels” (the “Measures”), which set out provisions to collect special port charges from vessels meeting specified U.S.-related criteria and establish procedures for collection, reporting and enforcement.

The Measures specify that vessels engaged in international navigation and calling at Chinese ports that meet designated criteria—such as ownership, operation, substantial U.S. equity stakes, U.S. flagging or U.S. construction—are required to pay the special port charge. Exemptions include vessels built in China that otherwise fall under those ownership or operating categories, empty vessels entering Chinese shipyards for repair, and other vessels formally granted exemptions.

The Measures establish the charge schedule by net tonnage (rounded up to the next net ton if under one net ton). Vessels calling Chinese ports from October 14, 2025 are subject to RMB 400 per net ton; those calling from April 17, 2026 face RMB 640 per net ton; from April 17, 2027 the rate increases to RMB 880 per net ton; and from April 17, 2028 the rate becomes RMB 1,120 per net ton. The charge will be applied for no more than five voyages per vessel in a single year, and each annual billing cycle commences on April 17.

Collection responsibility rests with the maritime authority at the port where the vessel first berths, which will collect the fee and manage its use in accordance with national regulations. When a vessel calls multiple Chinese ports on the same voyage, the fee is payable only at the initial port of call. Vessels that exceed five port calls in China within a year will be charged for the first five voyages only, and subsequent calls will be exempt upon verification of prior payments.

Shipowners or their agents are required to notify the maritime authority at the port of call of the vessel’s country of construction, flag state, owner, operator, leasing arrangements and planned ports of call at least seven days before the vessel’s expected arrival, or upon departure from the previous port when voyage time is under seven days, and to pay the applicable charge. Port authorities are mandated to verify pre-arrival information and require corrections if reporting is incomplete or inaccurate.

Vessels that fail to pay the special port charge as required will be denied completion of entry or exit formalities. If a vessel departs a Chinese port without settling the fee, outstanding charges must be paid before its next call at a Chinese port. The Measures allow for dynamic adjustments to the charge’s scope, rates and effective periods, and designate the Ministry of Transport as the interpreting authority; the Measures take effect upon issuance.

The Ministry’s Water Transport Bureau noted that on April 17, 2025 the Office of the United States Trade Representative announced Section 301 measures targeting China’s maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors, and that beginning October 14, 2025 the United States plans to levy additional port service charges on vessels owned or operated by Chinese companies, Chinese-built vessels and Chinese-flagged ships. The bureau characterized the U.S. measures as contravening WTO rules and the China–U.S. maritime agreement and as causing significant disruption to bilateral maritime trade.

At a State Council Information Office briefing, Lü Daliang, spokesperson and director of the General Administration of Customs’ Department of Statistics and Analysis, described the U.S. actions as unilateral and protectionist with discriminatory effects, and stated that China’s countermeasures are necessary defensive steps to protect legitimate industrial and enterprise interests and to safeguard fair competition in international shipping and shipbuilding markets.

On September 29 China amended the Regulations on International Maritime Transport to add countermeasure provisions authorizing the imposition of special fees, restrictions on port access for vessels from countries adopting discriminatory measures, and data‑control barriers to prevent those countries from obtaining China’s critical maritime data.

Commenting in recent media coverage, experts cited by the Global Times and affiliated with the China Shipowners’ Association warned that U.S. sanctions could trigger ripple effects across global shipping. Additional costs for fleets that include Chinese‑built vessels could result in collective penalties, increasing operational expenses and heightening the risk of port congestion in the United States with spillover effects on global supply chains.

Those experts further estimated that the U.S. port charge could raise China–U.S. maritime trade costs by an amount comparable to a 4% tariff, intensifying U.S. inflationary pressures and prompting shipping lines to alter route structures to avoid higher costs. Such adjustments could cause congestion at major ports, the marginalization of smaller ports, supply‑chain disruption, delays in infrastructure upgrades, impediments to agricultural and energy exports, and job losses in port logistics.