White House Proposes New Fees on Foreign Vessels to Revitalize US Shipbuilding
– The Trump administration is moving forward with a plan to bolster the domestic shipbuilding industry through a series of new taxes and fees levied on foreign-built vessels entering U.S. Ports, as well as a new tax on imports at land ports of entry. The initiative, dubbed “America’s Maritime Action Plan,” aims to address what officials describe as a critical need to revitalize U.S. Port infrastructure and shipbuilding capacity.
At the heart of the plan is a proposed “universal service fee” on all foreign-built commercial vessels bringing merchandise into U.S. Ports. The fee, which would be assessed based on the weight of imported tonnage, doesn’t have a fixed rate yet, with potential options ranging from 1 cent per kilogram – projected to raise $66 billion over a decade – to 25 cents per kilogram, potentially generating $1.5 trillion over the same period. The revenue generated would be deposited into a newly created Maritime Security Trust Fund, dedicated to shipbuilding investment, supporting the U.S. Merchant marine, and workforce development.
The administration also proposes establishing a Land Port Maintenance Tax, mirroring the existing Harbor Maintenance Tax currently applied to cargo ships entering U.S. Seaports. This new tax would apply to imports arriving via land ports of entry, aiming to create a more balanced system of funding for port maintenance across all modes of transportation.
The move comes after a temporary suspension of fees on Chinese-built or Chinese-owned vessels that had been in place under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. That previous action, taken in April 2025, imposed fees based on containers or tonnage, but was suspended following a deal reached between the U.S. And China last October, with the suspension set to expire on . The new, universal fee is broader in scope and doesn’t appear to be tied to a specific trade remedy like the previous China-specific measures.
Further modifications to the responsive action to restore American shipbuilding were announced by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in October 2025. These included changing the basis for calculating service fees on foreign-built vehicle carriers to $46 per net ton, eliminating a provision that could have suspended liquefied natural gas (LNG) export licenses, and imposing 100 percent tariffs on certain ship-to-shore cranes and cargo handling equipment. The USTR is also considering additional tariffs of up to 150 percent on other cargo handling equipment and components.
The USTR also proposed carve-outs from the fees for certain ethane and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers under long-term charter, and is currently evaluating public comments on these proposed modifications. Payment of certain service fees was deferred through , while these comments were considered.
The plan represents a significant shift in policy aimed at strengthening the U.S. Maritime sector. Officials believe that by incentivizing domestic shipbuilding and modernizing port infrastructure, the U.S. Can enhance its economic competitiveness and national security. The details of the tax rates and the implementation of the Maritime Security Trust Fund are still being finalized, and are expected to be subject to further debate and refinement in the coming months.
