Posted on September 8, 2025
Chinese container shipping lines face severe financial impact when new U.S. Trade Representative port fees take effect on October 14, 2025, according to a new HSBC analysis. The fees will erode an estimated 74% of China Shipping Holding’s (CSH) projected 2026 operating profit and 65% for Orient Overseas Container Line (OOIL).
The analysis projects CSH could incur approximately $1.5 billion in annual port fees, representing 5.3% of its consensus 2026 revenue forecasts against a 7.1% consensus EBIT margin. OOIL faces an estimated $654 million in fees, equating to 7.1% of projected 2026 revenues against a 10.9% consensus EBIT margin.
While final implementation rules have yet to be announced, the U.S. Customs & Border Protection is reportedly developing a collection system for the fees. Non-Chinese carriers will only face charges if they deploy Chinese-built vessels for U.S. port calls.
“The US Trade Representative’s (USTR) port fees targeting Chinese carriers is scheduled to take effect from 14 Oct 2025,” notes the HSBC report. “Further dilution or scrapping of the port fees would be a positive catalyst for Chinese carriers.”
Non-Chinese shipping lines have already begun network reconfiguration to minimize exposure. Companies like Maersk and Hapag Lloyd are deploying Korean-built ships on transpacific routes. The Premier Alliance plans to split its Mediterranean Pacific South 2 service into separate services, allowing it to remove ten Chinese-built vessels from U.S. port calls.
Chinese carriers may pursue several mitigation strategies, including having Ocean Alliance partners CMA CGM and Evergreen deploy more non-Chinese vessels on transpacific routes while CSH and OOIL add capacity elsewhere. They may also develop services bypassing U.S. ports by using transshipments through Canada, Mexico, or Caribbean hubs.
The USTR port fee structure, announced in April, establishes a $50 per net ton fee on Chinese vessel owners and operators, increasing annually by $30 increments to reach $140 per net ton by 2028. Non-Chinese operators using Chinese-built vessels face lower rates of $18 per net ton or $120 per discharged container, whichever is higher.
Industry analysts suggest the network realignment by carriers could temporarily tighten capacity and potentially delay the scrapping of older non-Chinese built vessels, which currently represent 93% of container ships over 20 years old.
