The World Shipping Council is pushing back against a new fee regime announced by the U.S. Trade Representative, warning it could disrupt global trade and increase prices for American businesses and consumers.
In a statement released April 18, the World Shipping Council (WSC) raised concerns about the USTR's newly announced port fees, calling them “a step in the wrong direction.”
“Revitalizing America’s maritime sector is an important and widely shared goal,” said Joe Kramek, President and CEO of WSC. “Unfortunately, the fee regime announced by USTR will raise prices for consumers, weaken U.S. trade, and do little to revitalize the U.S. maritime industry.”
The WSC said the fees are problematic for several reasons. First, the policy applies retroactively to ships already in transit, adding costs without benefiting U.S. shipbuilders. Second, the fees are based on ship size (Net Tonnage), which the group says unfairly penalizes larger, more efficient vessels…