FreightWaves reported on 28 September 2026 that US port-entry fees targeting China-linked and China-built vessels are still scheduled to resume on 10 November 2026 after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Busan trade truce would run to 10 January 2027. The fees were suspended for one year from 10 November 2025. Under USTR's governing notice, the pause expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on 9 November, and fees apply again from 10 November unless USTR publishes another modification. FreightWaves says no formal extension notice had been issued as of 28 September.
The measure comes from USTR's Section 301 case on China's maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding policies. In the original schedule, covered Chinese vessel operators and Chinese-owned vessels faced $50 per net ton, while non-Chinese operators using China-built ships faced the higher of $18 per net ton or $120 per discharged container, with escalating levels in later years. Fees were limited to one chargeable call per vessel per rotation and no more than five chargeable rotations per calendar year, with some exclusions for small vessels, empty arrivals, and specified trades.
Exposure is not limited to Cosco and OOCL. Non-Chinese carriers on China-built tonnage can also be in scope, which could push deployment changes or surcharge recovery into all-in rates for US importers and exporters. China's reciprocal special port fees on US-linked vessels were paused on a similar timetable, so a US restart could invite a parallel Chinese response. More than 200 maritime and trade stakeholders have urged USTR to extend the suspension.