According to news on the Ministry of Transport website on the 14th, the Ministry of Transport issued the ” Implementation Measures for Collecting Special Port Fees from US Ships ” on the same day.

Previously, the Office of the United States Trade Representative issued Section 301 investigation measures into China’s maritime , logistics and shipbuilding industries. Starting from October 14, 2025, the United States will impose additional port service fees on ships owned or operated by Chinese companies, Chinese-made ships, and Chinese-nationalized ships. This move seriously violated the WTO rules and the China-US Maritime Agreement and caused serious damage to the maritime trade between China and the United States.

The full text of the “Implementation Measures for Collecting Special Port Fees from US Ships” is as follows:

Implementation Measures for Collecting Special Ship Port Fees from U.S. Ships

Article 1 These Measures are formulated in order to implement the announcement requirements for special ship port fees charged to US ships, in accordance with the “International Maritime Transport Regulations of the People’s Republic of China” and other regulations, and to safeguard the development interests of my country’s shipping industry.

Article 2 For ships engaged in international maritime transportation, berthing at Chinese ports and meeting one of the following conditions, the ship owner or its agent shall pay special port fees for the ship:

(1) Ships owned by U.S. companies, other organizations and individuals;

(2) Ships operated by U.S. companies, other organizations and individuals;

(3) Ships owned or operated by companies, other organizations and individuals in the United States that directly or indirectly hold 25% or more of the equity (voting rights, board seats);

(4) Ships flying the U.S. flag;

(5) Ships built in the United States.

Ships built in China listed in items 1 to 4 of the preceding paragraph are exempt from payment. Only empty ships that enter Chinese shipyards for repairs and other ships that are deemed exempt are exempt from payment.

Article 3 The specific collection standards for special port fees for ships are as follows (less than 1 net ton shall be calculated as 1 net ton):

(1) For berthing at Chinese ports starting from October 14, 2025, RMB 400 per net ton will be charged;

(2) For calls to Chinese ports starting from April 17, 2026, RMB 640 per net ton will be charged;

(3) For calls to Chinese ports starting from April 17, 2027, RMB 880 per net ton will be charged;

(4) For berthing at Chinese ports starting from April 17, 2028, RMB 1,120 per net ton will be charged.

The same ship may collect special port fees for no more than 5 voyages within a year. April 17 of each year is the start date of the annual billing cycle.

Article 4 Special port fees for ships shall be collected by the maritime administration agency where the ship calls at the port, and shall be managed and used in accordance with relevant national regulations.

Article 5 If a ship calls at multiple Chinese ports on the same voyage, the ship’s special port fee will only be paid at the first port of call. Vessels that call at Chinese ports for more than 5 voyages within a year will need to pay special port fees for the first 5 voyages. No fees will be charged for subsequent voyages based on the payment information of the first 5 voyages.

Article 6 The shipowner or its agent shall truthfully report the ship’s country of construction, national flag, owner, operator, leasing status, planned port of call on this voyage and other information to the maritime administration agency where the port is located 7 days before the ship is expected to arrive at the Chinese port (if the voyage is less than 7 days, when leaving the previous port), and pay special port fees for the ship.

Article 7 The maritime administration agency where the port is located shall verify the status of all ships scheduled to arrive at the port. If it is found that the ship information listed in Article 6 is suspected of concealing or omitting to report, it shall instruct the ship or its agent to provide supplementary information.

Article 8 For ships that violate these Measures and fail to pay the special port fees for ships as required, the maritime administration agency shall not handle import and export procedures for them.

If the ship owner or its agent evades the payment of the ship’s special port fees, the ship that has left the Chinese port must make up the outstanding fees before calling at the Chinese port next time.

Article 9 The collection range, standards, departure and end times of special ship port fees will be dynamically adjusted depending on the situation.

Article 10 The Ministry of Transport is responsible for interpreting these Measures and shall come into effect from the date of promulgation.