It concerns commercial ships and tankers built in the Asian country – Excluded LNG ships are currently excluded
Owners or shipowners built in China will be required to pay new costs when their boats are docked in US ports, a measure that will be in place in 180 days, with the amounts increasing progressively, a US spokesman announced yesterday.
The measure also concerns owners and Chinese ship owners not built in China, the USTR services said in the announcement they published. These fees will be charged to a visit to the US – not in every American port where they are tied – up to five times per ship a year.
In addition, the USTR provides the imposition of specific fees for vehicles carrying vehicles, which will also come into force in 180 days and for those carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG), but in this case the charges will start in three years and increase by stages for 22 years. “Ustr takes targeted action to restore US yards and react to China’s irrational actions, policies and practices to dominate the sectors of maritime transport, supply and shipbuilding industry,” the statement said, “the statement said,” the statement
Former President Joe Biden had commissioned the USTR to investigate “China’s unfair practices in the fields of shipbuilding, maritime transport and supply”. This research continued during the days of Donald Trump’s successor, who also announced in early March the creation of a special service to strengthen the US shipbuilding industry in the White House.
Dominant after the end of World War II, the US Nautical Industry began to shrink and is no longer only 0.1% of the worldwide shipbuilding industry. Asia, especially China, is now dominated by about half of the ships that are stuck, followed by South Korea and Japan.
These three Asian countries build over 95% of ships manufactured, according to the United Nations Conference on Commerce and Development (CNUCED in French, UNCTAD in English). The announcement is recorded amid trade war between Washington and the US.
