Washington considers softening fee on China-linked vessels in U.S. ports

President Donald Trump's administration is considering softening its proposed fee on China-linked ships visiting U.S. ports after a flood of negative feedback from industries that said the idea could be economically devastating, according to six sources consulted by Reuters and informed during a Global Agritrends presentation.

Among the changes under consideration are delayed implementation and new fee structures designed to reduce the overall cost to visiting Chinese vessels, according to the six sources with knowledge of the matter.

Among options the Trump administration was considering is charging a fee that is adjusted based on the number of Chinese-built ships in a company's fleet, one source said. That would mean lower fees for those companies with fewer ships built in China.

The administration was also mulling a charge based on the tonnage of unloaded vessels rather than a flat fee, two of the sources said. This would mean lower fees for smaller ships, rather than flat fees for all vessels. That might ease the burden on ship owners with smaller vessels involved in niche trades such as transporting grains or other commodities.

"However, all shipping segments would be affected, given the level of disruption likely to take place as operators shift vessels to minimize exposure to U.S. fees."