Build your foundation. Avoid costly mistakes. Get grounded in the essentials of export controls and compliance. This session covers the key regulations, common pitfalls (including dual-use items), and why compliance matters – because mistakes can carry serious consequences. Perfect for…
USTR: New Section 301 Fees Imposed on Chinese-Owned, Operated, and Built Vessels, Plus All Foreign Vehicle Carriers
USTR: New Section 301 Fees Imposed on Chinese-Owned, Operated, and Built Vessels, Plus All Foreign Vehicle Carriers
October 11, 2025/
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has announced new Section 301 fees targeting certain vessels with ties to China, as well as all foreign-built vehicle carrier vessels. These fees apply to vessels that are owned, operated, or built in China and are effective for arrivals on or after October 14, 2025. Vessel operators are solely responsible for determining whether their vessels are subject to these fees; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will not make this determination on their behalf. All applicable fees must be remitted electronically through pay.gov.
Under Annex 1, vessels owned or operated by a Chinese entity will be assessed a fee of $50 per net ton upon arrival.
Under Annex 2, Chinese-built vessels will be assessed the higher of $18 per net ton or $120 per container discharged.
Under Annex 3, vessels classified as vehicle carriers or roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessels, if foreign-built, will be assessed a fee of $14 per net ton.
Operators should review vessel ownership, operational control, build origin, and vessel classification carefully to ensure compliance prior to arrival.
Related Posts
NMFS: Upcoming Import Prohibitions and Industry Webinars
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces that, effective January 1, 2026, imports of specific fish and fish products from countries whose fisheries have not received comparability findings under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) will be restricted from entering the United States. To help industry prepare for these changes, NMFS will host two informational…
CBP: Settlement Reached in Aluminum Extrusions Duty Evasion Case
Harman International Industries, parent company of Harman Kardon®, JBL®, and Mark Levinson®-has agreed to pay $11,809,628 to settle allegations that it evaded antidumping and countervailing duties (ADCVD) on aluminum-extrusion heatsinks imported from China. According to the allegations, the company failed for more than a decade to disclose or correct the violations and actively concealed the…
USTR: U.S. and U.K. Reach Agreement on Pharmaceuticals and Medical Technology
On December 1, 2025, the United States and United Kingdom announced a new agreement on pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical ingredients, and medical technology. Under this arrangement, the U.S. would remove Section 232 tariffs on U.K.-sourced medical goods, pause any Section 301 investigations related to U.K. pharmaceutical pricing during President Trump’s term, and collaborate to expand U.K. patient…
FDA: Agency Deploys Agentic AI Capabilities for Staff Use
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the rollout of agency-wide agentic AI tools designed to support employees with complex, multi-step tasks. These systems build on the FDA’s earlier deployment of its LLM-based tool, Elsa-currently used voluntarily by a majority of staff-and introduce more advanced features for workflow automation, planning, and reasoning. Participation remains optional,…