Global shippers await word on US plan to hit China-linked vessels with port fees 

Lisa Baertlein - Reuters - 17/04
The U.S. Trade Representative's office will announce its plan on Thursday for levying port fees on China-linked ships as part of President Donald Trump's effort to revive domestic shipbuilding and counter China's dominance on the high seas.
  • USTR plan may soften original fee proposal due to industry opposition
  • Small ports fear economic harm from cumulative fees per port visit
  • Industry warns fees could undermine federal investments in port infrastructure
LOS ANGELES, April 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Trade Representative's office will announce its plan on Thursday for levying port fees on China-linked ships as part of President Donald Trump's effort to revive domestic shipbuilding and counter China's dominance on the high seas.
April 17, the one-year anniversary of when USTR launched its investigation into China's maritime activities, is the statutory deadline for the agency to finalize its remedies after concluding in January that China uses unfair policies and practices to dominate global shipping.

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U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer last week said the agency would not apply all aspects of its original fee proposal, which outlined a range of options to penalize China, including million-dollar port fees for ships with ties to China.
USTR had no immediate comment on the details of its plans.
The apparent revision followed a tsunami of public and private opposition from the global maritime industry, including domestic port and vessel operators as well as U.S. exporters and importers of everything from coal and corn to bananas and concrete.
During a congressional hearing Greer said the fees may not be cumulative and would be designed to avoid economic harm.
Reuters reported separately that the administration was considering a variety of options to soften the port fee proposal after receiving feedback from industry representatives in private meetings or via hundreds of comments submitted online.
Implementation could also come as late a...
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