Following Maersk and CMA CGM, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has also made a statement recently. In response to the situation where the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will impose a new service fee on Chinese-manufactured ships calling at U.S. ports starting from October 14, MSC has sent a message to its customers: it will absorb this cost on its own and will not pass it on to customers by adding extra fees.

The latest report from Journal of Commerce further reveals MSC’s response measures. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s largest container shipping line by capacity, stated that it has adjusted its U.S. route operation network to cope with the upcoming imposition of high port fees by the U.S. on ships built or operated in China. It also sent a message to customers: MSC will absorb this cost on its own and will not pass it on to customers by adding extra fees.

In a customer announcement released this week, Soren Toft, CEO of MSC, said that the company has “proactively restructured its global vessel deployment network” to respond to the new regulations from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) that will take effect on October 14. The fee will be calculated based on either the ship’s total tonnage or the number of containers it carries, whichever is higher. By estimate, this is equivalent to an additional cost of $300 to $600 per container. Soren Toft stated, “This internal adjustment ensures that we fully comply with U.S. trade regulations while maintaining the reliability and efficiency of MSC’s services.”

CMA CGM Announces: No Additional Fees Will Be Imposed Due to the “U.S. Port Fee”!

On September 10, CMA CGM released a relevant statement. The company stated, “Although this new service fee may bring challenges to our operations, based on the current service fee structure and applicability, CMA CGM Shipping does not currently consider imposing a surcharge on cargo to and from the United States.” Furthermore, CMA CGM added that it has formulated a new plan to mitigate the fee imposed by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).