US formalises two-month extension of China ship fee suspension
Infrastructure
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
- Updated Nov 11, 2026 12:06
USTR has formally extended its suspension of Section 301 port fees on China-linked vessels for two months, effective November 9 and running through 11:59 p.m. Eastern on January 9, 2027, under a Federal Register notice published on November 10.
Why it matters: The final notice converts October's proposal into law before the one-year suspension expired, so carriers calling at US ports on Chinese-owned, Chinese-operated or Chinese-built vessels face no fee liability through the holiday shipping season, and Beijing has matched the pause on US-linked vessels to January 10.
Data as of Federal Register notice 2026-22867, published November 10, 2026, giving effect to USTR's determination dated November 6, 2026; the register's own page was bot-blocked to this reader, and the notice's terms are as reported in full from the notice by FreightWaves and gCaptain, which agree on the effective date, the January 9, 2027 end and the covered annexes. China's reciprocal extension is as reported by Reuters. Developing item.
The United States has formally extended its suspension of the Section 301 port fees on China-linked shipping for another two months. The USTR notice published in the Federal Register on Tuesday took effect on November 9 and runs through 11:59 p.m. Eastern on January 9, 2027, so no liability accrues for the maritime service fees on Chinese-owned or operated vessels, Chinese-built vessels and foreign-built vehicle carriers, and the added duties on Chinese ship-to-shore cranes and other cargo-handling equipment stay suspended as well.
The notice finalises the extension USTR proposed in October, after the one-year suspension agreed by Presidents Trump and Xi in November 2025 expired on November 9. The fees at stake run to millions of dollars for a single call, about $2.5 million for a 50,000 net ton vessel. China has extended its own suspension of reciprocal port fees on US-linked vessels until January 10, 2027.
Sources
- Notice of Modification of Section 301 Action: China's Targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance (document 2026-22867) - US Trade Representative, via Federal Register - 2026-11-10
- US postpones 'million-dollar' China ship tax until January - FreightWaves - 2026-11-11
- U.S. Formalizes Two-Month Extension of China Ship Port Fee Suspension - gCaptain - 2026-11-10