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New maritime policy! Seller costs may rise again.

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Time of issue：

2025-02-28 17:57

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In 2025, the United States introduced a series of new policies and measures in the maritime sector, mainly including the following aspects:

Restrictions on China's maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding industries under Clause 301

On February 21, 2025, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a notice proposing a series of restrictions on China's "dominance" in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding industries, specifically including:

• Charges for Chinese ship operators: A single voyage entering U.S. ports can be charged up to $1 million, or $1,000 per ton of net tonnage, whichever is higher.

• Charges for operators owning Chinese-manufactured ships: Charges are based on the proportion of Chinese-manufactured ships in the fleet, with the following standards:

• Over 50%: A single charge of up to $1.5 million;

• 25%-50%: A single charge of up to $750,000;

• 0%-25%: A single charge of up to $500,000.

• Charges for operators ordering Chinese ships: Charges are based on the proportion of ships ordered from Chinese shipyards:

• Over 50%: A single charge of up to $1 million;

• 25%-50%: A single charge of up to $750,000;

• 0%-25%: A single charge of up to $500,000.

• Service fee reductions for ships built in the U.S.: Operators using U.S.-built ships for transportation can receive certain fee reductions.

Charges for new ship orders from China: Charges are based on the proportion of new ships ordered from Chinese shipyards:

• Over 50%: A single charge of $1 million;

• 25%-50%: A single charge of $750,000;

• 0%-25%: A single charge of $500,000.

• Impact: Major global shipping companies such as Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Maersk, which have ordered a large number of new ships from China, will also face high fees.

• Transportation restrictions: Gradually requiring U.S. goods to be transported by U.S. ships, starting from the effective date, at least 1% of export goods must be transported by U.S.-flagged operators, with the proportion possibly increasing over time.

"National Goods, National Shipping" policy

• A certain proportion of U.S. export goods must be transported by U.S.-flagged vessels:

• From the start year of the regulations, at least **1%** of U.S. export goods must be carried by U.S.-flagged, U.S. operators;

• Seven years later and beyond, at least **15%** of U.S. export goods must be carried by U.S.-flagged, U.S. operators, of which **5%** must be carried by U.S.-built ships.

• Impact: The limited domestic shipbuilding capacity in the U.S. cannot meet this demand, which may lead to supply chain disruptions.

2. The "SHIPS for America Act"

On December 19, 2024, U.S. Congress members submitted the "SHIPS for America Act" to Congress, aimed at revitalizing the U.S. shipbuilding and maritime industries. The main content of the bill includes:

• Gradually increasing the proportion of U.S.-flagged vessel transportation: Within 15 years from the effective date of the bill, a certain proportion of all goods imported from China to the U.S. must be transported by U.S.-flagged vessels. This proportion starts at 1% in the 5th year after the effective date, increasing by 1% each year, reaching 10% in the 14th year. Non-compliant importers will be fined.

• Revitalizing the U.S. shipbuilding industry: The bill proposes to strengthen U.S. shipbuilding capacity through regulatory reforms and financial support (such as tax credits) and to rebuild the maritime workforce.

• Prioritizing the use of U.S.-flagged vessels: The transportation of U.S. government goods will be entirely undertaken by U.S.-flagged vessels, granting U.S.-flagged vessels priority when waiting at ports.

3. Other related measures

• Reducing dependence on Chinese logistics platforms: USTR proposed reducing reliance on the National Transportation Logistics Public Information Platform (LOGINK) and related platforms, restricting their access to U.S. shipping data.

• Investigating anti-competitive behavior of Chinese shipping companies: The U.S. plans to investigate the alleged anti-competitive behavior of Chinese shipping companies and restrict their operations in U.S. ports.

4. Ongoing impact of the 2022 Maritime Reform Act

In June 2022, the U.S. passed the Maritime Reform Act, aimed at strengthening enforcement and oversight of maritime enterprises. The act requires shipping companies to report capacity and actual container volumes monthly, prohibits unreasonable refusals of U.S. export goods, and restricts actions to raise prices by reducing capacity.

Impact analysis

• Impact on China's shipping industry: The new U.S. maritime policies will significantly increase the operating costs of Chinese shipping companies, reducing their competitiveness in the U.S. market. Particularly for large shipping companies like COSCO Shipping Holdings, rising costs and reduced market share are major challenges.

• Impact on the global shipping industry: U.S. restrictions may escalate trade frictions, leading to increased global shipping costs and heightened risks of supply chain disruptions.

• Impact on the U.S. itself: Although the U.S. attempts to revitalize its shipping and shipbuilding industries through these measures, its limited domestic shipbuilding capacity makes it difficult to meet demand in the short term, which may lead to decreased logistics efficiency.

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