Container analysts at Alphaliner have crunched the numbers to calculate the theoretical fees to be levied from the US Trade Representative (USTR) that carriers would face in 2026 if they maintained the same fleet deployment to the US as today.
Starting October 14, the US will raise port fees on China-linked tonnage, a move that will hit state-backed COSCO and its Hong Kong subsidiary OOCL especially hard.
The new US rules, which China has vowed to reciprocate, would see vessels owned or operated by a Chinese entity face a flat fee of $80 per net tonnage (nt) per voyage performed to the US. At the same time, non-Chinese operators of Chinese-built ships will be charged the higher amount of either $23 per nt or $154 per teu capacity. Both fees are imposed on a ship no more than five times a year.
Based on the current deployment, Alphaliner is forecasting that COSCO – including OOCL – remains the most threatened by the fee as its fleet would be subject to $1.53bn of the aggregated $3.2bn due from the top 10 carriers should their fleet deployment remain unchanged next year (see chart below).
The fleets of ZIM, ONE, and CMA CGM servicing the US would respectively be subject to $510m, $363m and $335m in fees in 2026, according to Alphaliner estimates.
Alphaliner has calculated the cost of the fee over a carrier’s entire operations in the US and the total teu capacity deployed therein. Tariffs would therefore range from $2,121 per teu for COSCO’s fleet calling at the US, to just $26 per teu for Maersk’s US services.
China has taken preemptive action against the US’s plans to hike port fees for China-linked tonnage.
Chinese premier Li Qiang signed a State Council decree over the weekend, which states that China will take necessary countermeasures against countries or regions that impose or support discriminatory bans, restrictions, or similar measures targeting Chinese operators, vessels, or crew engaged in international maritime transport and related services.
COSCO conceded in a note to clients last month that the new fees from the USTR may pose certain operational challenges, but it was committed to maintaining stable capacity deployment and service quality.
“We will maintain competitive rates and surcharges, along with related policies that align with market conditions,” Beijing-headquartered COSCO stated.
Orient Overseas (International) Ltd (OOIL), the listed entity of Hong Kong’s OOCL, issued a statement in August admitting that October’s likely introduction of extra port fees for Chinese-linked tonnage could be painful.
OOCL noted in a release that the potential extra port charges levied by the US on Chinese carriers will have a “relatively large impact”.
