Vessel operators subject to the US Trade Representative's (USTR) port fees targeting Chinese-built, owned or operated ships set to begin 14 October will be responsible for paying the fees prior to their arrival, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
If fees are not paid ahead of arrival at US ports the ships will not be allowed to load or unload cargo until proof of payment has been verified by the CBP.
It will be up to the vessel owner, not the CBP, to determine if the fee is owed, according to a statement from the CBP on 3 October. The payments will be made directly through the Department of the Treasury's website, and not at the port of entry, according to a statement on the CBP's Cargo Systems Messaging Service.
Vessel operators will have to complete a form on pay.gov and select the type of fee they will pay. According to the site, a Chinese-owned or operated Kamsarmax with a net tonnage (nt) of around 27,000 nt will be responsible for $1.35mn in fees before it can call at a US port. The CBP recommends the payment be initiated at least three business days prior to the vessel's arrival.
The shipping community has been waiting for further clarifications from the USTR or CPB on the fees ahead of their start. The clarifications on the payment made by CBP leave some questions still unanswered, according to market participants.
The USTR plans to impose fees on Chinese-built, owned or operated ships calling at US ports starting on 14 October, with Chinese ship owners or operators slated to pay $50/nt while Chinese-built ships that are not subject to exemptions will be charged $18/nt.
Many Chinese ship owners and operators have been exiting the north Atlantic in anticipation of the start of the fees which has limited the available vessels in the north Atlantic and helped to push up rates.
