Maersk Opts for Cost Avoidance Strategy on Fees for China-Linked Vessels

Maersk is prioritizing a cost avoidance strategy in response to impending fees on China-linked vessels, company executive Anders Sonesson said at Supply Chain Dive’s "Supply Chain Outlook: Trends and Risks to Watch in 2025" event on July 23.

Sonesson, who serves as the head of North America regional contract product management at A.P. Moller - Maersk, also mentioned that the ocean carrier can easily redeploy its China-built vessels to other trade lanes thanks to its global network, which will remain unchanged.

"We’re also not going to put any Chinese-built ships into the U.S. trade if that’s going to cost millions of dollars to call U.S. ports," Sonesson said. "So, I think that’s also what I’m expecting to see from the rest of our competitors and the alliances."

In April, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) introduced a fee structure targeting China-linked vessels. Beginning October 14, China-linked vessels calling at U.S. ports will face fees ranging from $18 per net ton to $120 per container. Those fees will then increase every April.

According to the USTR, the fees are intended to strengthen the domestic shipbuilding industry. However, some stakeholders are skeptical about this impact, arguing it will increase shipping costs and consumer prices without genuinely boosting the U.S. role in the maritime industry.

According to Sonesson, Maersk has no intention of collecting any fees or surcharges related to this proposal from customers, as it's unrealistic to force shippers to cover costs over which they have no control.

"It will be very difficult for us to justify to our customers why you should pay because you load it on a Chinese-built ship because it’s not really up to the customers to choose what vessel they load on," he said.

Brian Kobza, Chief Commercial Officer for IMC Logistics, said the proposal will likely push vessels to concentrate on fewer port calls, leading to congestion.

"Anytime you see more volume spiking into [a] single port, that type of congestion has a lot of downstream effects, into the [distribution centers], into the trucking community, into the delays and the turn times of trucks and rails in the ports," Kobza said. "Any time you create that type of congestion, you’re just adding cost and reducing reliability in the supply chain."

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Source: Phaata.com (According to SupplyChainDive)

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