On November 9, 2026, a suspension that has been protecting importers from significant new costs on trans-Pacific shipments expires. The U.S. Trade Representative suspended fees under Section 301 of the Trade Act on vessels owned, operated, or built in China, but that suspension has a hard end date. If it lapses without renewal, importers using the trans-Pacific trade lane will face fee exposure that could add thousands of dollars per voyage to their landed costs.
With three weeks left on the clock, here is what the fees actually are, who they apply to, and what importers should be reviewing right now.
What Are the Section 301 Vessel Fees?
The USTR initiated an investigation in 2024 into China’s practices in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors. The investigation concluded that China’s dominance in those sectors was the result of unfair trade practices, and the USTR proposed fees on Chinese-linked vessels calling at U.S. ports as a trade remedy.
The fees are structured across three categories. The first covers Chinese-owned or Chinese-operated vessels: a per-voyage fee applied each time such a vessel calls at a U.S. port. The second, and the most significant for the broadest group of importers, covers vessels built in China regardless of who owns or operates them. Given that China currently builds roughly 70 to 75 percent of the world’s commercial vessels, this category touches a very large portion of the global fleet. The third covers foreign-built vehicle carrier vessels, a narrower category relevant to automotive importers.
The USTR announced a suspension of these fees in May 2025 to allow more time for stakeholder input and implementation preparation. That suspension runs through November 9, 2026.
Why November 9 Matters
The November 9 expiration is not a soft deadline. If the suspension lapses without a formal extension or modification from the USTR, the fees resume. Carriers will face the per-voyage charges on Chinese-owned, Chinese-operated, and Chinese-built vessels calling U.S. ports, and those costs will flow into freight rates and surcharges paid by importers.
The USTR has not announced a further extension as of the date of this post. The Federal Register docket for this matter is USTR-2025-0017, and the relevant Federal Register notice is 90 FR 50947. Importers who want to track whether an extension is announced should monitor that docket directly.
Three weeks is not a lot of runway to adjust supply chain decisions, but it is enough time to understand your exposure and make sure your logistics team and freight partner are prepared.
Who Is Actually Exposed?
The Chinese-built vessel category is the one with the broadest practical reach. China-built ships carry a dominant share of trans-Pacific container volume. Most major ocean carriers operating between Asia and the U.S. have significant China-built vessels in their fleets. If the fees resume, carriers will assess the fee exposure per voyage and make decisions about how to pass those costs through to shippers, either through direct surcharges or adjustments to base rates.
The Chinese-owned and Chinese-operated category has direct implications for importers who specifically book on carriers with Chinese ownership or management. Those importers have the most direct and predictable exposure if the fees resume.
The vehicle carrier category is narrower but significant for automotive importers. The fees in this category are structured differently from the container vessel categories.
What Importers Should Do Before November 9
Identify which vessels your current bookings are on.
If you have shipments booked on voyages that will call a U.S. port after November 9, find out whether those vessels are Chinese-built, Chinese-owned, or Chinese-operated. Your freight broker or ocean carrier can provide vessel ownership and build information.
Review your freight contracts for fee pass-through language.
Many ocean carrier contracts include provisions allowing carriers to pass through new regulatory fees or surcharges. Review your current contracts to understand your exposure if new fees are assessed after November 9.
Talk to your freight partner about contingency planning.
If you have flexibility in your routing or booking timing, discuss with your logistics team whether there are options to reduce exposure. Understanding your options is better than being caught without a plan.
Monitor the Federal Register docket.
An extension, if one comes, will be announced through the Federal Register. Docket USTR-2025-0017 is where that notice would appear.
The Broader Context: Fees Landing Into an Already Tight Market
The November 9 deadline is arriving at a moment when trans-Pacific freight conditions are already under pressure. As covered in our post this week on global port congestion, congestion is absorbing approximately 12 percent of global vessel capacity. Spot rates on the Far East to U.S. West Coast corridor are elevated year over year, and the U.S. East Coast is running even tighter.
If the vessel fees resume on top of that market, importers will be managing rate pressure from two directions at once: market-driven rate increases from congestion and demand, and policy-driven cost increases from the resumed fees. Understanding both variables is part of planning effectively for the next 60 to 90 days.
HighQ Is Watching This Closely
At HighQ Logistics, we are tracking the November 9 expiration and monitoring for any USTR announcement on an extension or modification. If you have trans-Pacific shipments booked into late November or December and want to understand your exposure, talk to our team before the deadline.
The USTR’s suspension of Section 301 vessel fees expires November 9, 2026. The fees apply to Chinese-owned, Chinese-operated, and Chinese-built vessels calling U.S. ports. The Chinese-built category has the broadest reach given China’s share of global shipbuilding. Importers with trans-Pacific bookings that land after November 9 should identify their vessel exposure, review their contract pass-through language, and monitor docket USTR-2025-0017 for any extension announcement from the USTR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Section 301 vessel fees and when do they expire?
The Section 301 vessel fees are trade remedy fees proposed by the U.S. Trade Representative on Chinese-linked vessels calling U.S. ports. The USTR suspended the fees in May 2025. That suspension expires November 9, 2026.
Which vessels do the fees apply to?
The fees apply across three categories: Chinese-owned or Chinese-operated vessels, vessels built in China regardless of ownership, and foreign-built vehicle carrier vessels. The Chinese-built category has the broadest reach because China builds approximately 70 to 75 percent of the world’s commercial vessels.
How will I know if my shipment is on a Chinese-built vessel?
Your freight broker or ocean carrier can provide vessel build and ownership information for your booked voyages. You can also look up individual vessels using publicly available vessel tracking and registry databases using the vessel’s IMO number.
Could the USTR extend the suspension past November 9?
Possibly. The USTR has extended the suspension once already. Whether a further extension is announced would be published in the Federal Register under docket USTR-2025-0017. No extension has been announced as of October 20, 2026.
How much do the fees cost per voyage?
The fee structure is tiered based on vessel type, net tonnage, and voyage characteristics. For large container vessels, the per-voyage fees can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, costs that carriers will seek to recover through rate adjustments or surcharges.
Where can I track official announcements about the fees?
The official Federal Register docket is USTR-2025-0017. The relevant Federal Register notice is 90 FR 50947. Any extension, modification, or implementation guidance from the USTR would be published there.
