Port Fee War Erupts! China’s Counterstrike Hits U.S. Capital Where It Hurts, Global Shipping Map Set for Shake-Up…👉Policy Implemented: First U.S.-Flagged Vessel Docks, 6.7 Million Fee Incoming 港口收費戰打響！中國反制直擊美資命脈，全球航運版圖要變……👉政策落地：首艘美籍船靠港，670 萬費用已在路上

Port Fee War Erupts! China’s Counterstrike Hits U.S. Capital Where It Hurts, Global Shipping Map Set for Shake-Up…👉Policy Implemented: First U.S.-Flagged Vessel Docks, 6.7 Million Fee Incoming

In the early morning of October 14th, the Tianjin Port container terminal welcomed a special cargo ship—the Matson Courage, flying the American flag. Unlike before, the ship’s operator now had an additional mandatory field to complete during entry procedures: the declaration of the Special Port Fee for Vessels.

On this day, the “Measures for Collecting Special Port Fees for V.S. Vessels” issued by the Ministry of Transport officially took effect. For a 16,000-deadweight-ton container ship like the Matson Courage, calculated at the initial phase rate of 400 yuan per net ton, a single port call would require an additional fee of 6.4 million yuan. The situation is even more stark for Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas; its 168,000-deadweight-ton size means a single voyage could incur a fee as high as 6.7 million yuan. By 2028, when the fee rises to 1,120 yuan per net ton, this cost will exceed 18 million yuan.

Port staff revealed to reporters that three eligible vessels had already completed payment that day. “The system was debugged long ago; the scope and standards of the fees are clearly marked. Companies only need to upload proof of vessel ownership and shareholding certificates.” The absence of congestion on the first day of implementation stemmed from precise groundwork laid in advance—China had just revised the “International Maritime Transport Regulations” at the end of September, adding a “counteracting discriminatory measures” clause, providing clear legal basis for the fees.

👉Cause and Effect: The U.S. Fired the First Shot, China’s Counterstrike is Precisely Targeted

The trigger for this “port fee war” was the Section 301 investigation measures announced by the U.S. on April 17th. At that time, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office declared that, starting October 14th, it would impose additional port service fees on Chinese vessels—$50 per net ton in the initial phase, rising to $140 by 2028. It also set discriminatory standards for Chinese-built vessels at “$18 per net ton or $120 per container, whichever is higher,” with the sole exemption being LNG carriers.

Trump had publicly claimed that this move aimed to “revitalize American shipbuilding” and “promote American cargo on American ships,” intending to leverage cost advantages to pry away international orders. However, the data tells a different story: in 2025, China held a 53% share of the global commercial shipbuilding market, with new container ship orders reaching 74%, while the U.S. stood at a mere 0.1%. Even most vessels for its own shipping companies rely on foreign construction. More ironically, it wasn’t until October 3rd that U.S. Customs hastily released the operational procedures for fee collection, a full week later than China.

In the face of the U.S.’s unilateral actions, China’s countermeasures reflect characteristics of being “reciprocal and precise.” The scope of the fees directly targets five categories of U.S.-related vessels: those owned or operated by the U.S., those flying the U.S. flag, those built in the U.S., and those controlled by enterprises with over 25% U.S. capital shareholding. This 25% threshold is堪称 a “surgical strike”—Bloomberg verification found that several European-registered shipping giants, due to their U.S. shareholding exceeding the limit, were all included in the fee scope.

The fee standards are also步步紧逼 (increasingly pressing): 400 yuan per net ton in 2025 (approximately $56), slightly higher than the U.S.’s $50, and 1,120 yuan in 2028 precisely matching the U.S.’s final standard of $140. “This is not retaliation; it is legitimate defense,” a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson emphasized at the policy press conference, stating that the U.S. actions violate the Sino-U.S. Maritime Agreement and China is merely “giving them a taste of their own medicine.”

港口收費戰打響！中國反制直擊美資命脈，全球航運版圖要變……👉政策落地：首艘美籍船靠港，670 萬費用已在路上

10 月 14 日清晨，天津港集裝箱碼頭迎來一艘特殊的貨輪 —— 懸挂美國國旗的 “美森勇敢號”。與以往不同的是，船方在辦理入境手續時，多了一項必填項：船舶特別港務費申報。

這一天，交通運輸部發布的《對美船舶收取船舶特別港務費實施辦法》正式生效。對 “美森勇敢號” 這樣的 1.6 萬噸級集裝箱船來說，按首階段每凈噸 400 元標準計算，單次靠港需額外繳納 640 萬元人民幣。而皇家加勒比旗下的 “海洋光譜號” 郵輪更慘，16.8 萬噸的噸位意味着單航次費用高達 670 萬元，到 2028 年費用升至每凈噸 1120 元時，這筆支出將突破 1800 萬元。

港口工作人員向記者透露，當天已有 3 艘符合條件的船舶完成繳費，“系統早就調試好了，收費範圍、標準都標得清清楚楚，企業只需要上傳船舶所有權和持股證明就行”。政策實施首日未出現擁堵，源於前期的精準鋪墊 ——9 月底中國剛修訂《國際海運條例》，新增 “反制歧視性措施” 條款，為收費提供了明確法律依據。

👉前因後果：美國先開第一槍，中方反制精準對標

這場 “港口收費戰” 的導火索，是美國 4 月 17 日拋出的 301 調查措施。當時美國貿易代表辦公室宣布，自 10 月 14 日起對中國船舶加收港口服務費，首階段每凈噸 50 美元，2028 年升至 140 美元，還對中國造船舶設置 “每凈噸 18 美元或每箱 120 美元取高值” 的歧視性標準，唯獨豁免液化天然氣運輸船。

特朗普當時高調宣稱，此舉要 “重振美國造船業”“推動美貨美運”，想用成本優勢撬走國際訂單。可數據狠狠打了臉：2025 年中國佔全球商業造船市場 53% 份額，新集裝箱船手持訂單達 74%，而美國僅 0.1%，連本國航運公司的船舶都大多依賴進口建造。更諷刺的是，直到 10 月 3 日，美國海關才匆忙發布收費操作流程，比中方晚了整整一周。

面對美方的單邊行動，中方的反制體現了 “對等且精準” 的特點。收費範圍直接鎖定五類涉美船舶：美國擁有或運營的、懸挂美旗的、美國建造的，以及美資持股 25% 以上企業掌控的船舶。這個 25% 的紅線堪稱 “手術刀式打擊”—— 彭博社查證發現，多家歐洲註冊的航運巨頭因美資持股超標，被悉數納入收費範圍。

收費標準更是步步緊逼：2025 年每凈噸 400 元（約 56 美元）略高於美方的 50 美元，2028 年 1120 元精準對標美方 140 美元的最終標準。“這不是報復，是正當防衛。” 商務部發言人在政策發布會上強調，美方做法違反中美海運協定，中方只是 “還以顏色”。