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Chinese shipyards capture 53% of Jan-Aug global ship

orders by

tonnage

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US port fees on China-linked vessels aim to counter

China's

maritime dominance

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MSC orders 12 containerships from China despite US port

fees

By Lisa Baertlein

LOS ANGELES, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Global shipping

companies are moving full steam ahead with commercial vessel

orders from Chinese shipyards, despite the U.S. targeting those

ships with port fees aimed at countering China's maritime

dominance, a new report from the Center for Strategic and

International Studies showed.

Chinese shipyards captured 53% of all global ship orders by

tonnage during the first eight months of 2025, according to the

CSIS analysis of S&P Global data released on Wednesday.

That was on par with full-year 2023 levels before the U.S.

Trade Representative (USTR) launched the China maritime probe

that paved the way for the port fees, CSIS said.

"Shipping companies are largely moving forward with business

as usual," said Brian Hart, a fellow with the China Power

Project at CSIS and an author of the report. "So far, it doesn't

look like these policies will achieve a significant shift away

from China."

China's share of global ship orders by tonnage had jumped to

73% in 2024, suggesting shipowners were seeking to lock in

contracts before potential USTR restrictions took effect.

Starting October 14, ships built in China - or operated

or owned by Chinese entities - will need to pay a fee at their

first port of call in the United States.

That fee could top $1 million for a ship carrying more than

10,000 containers and is slated to rise annually through 2028,

according to analyst estimates.

The port fees on China-linked vessels are part of a broader

U.S. effort to revive domestic shipbuilding and to blunt China's

growing naval and commercial shipping power.

But catching up with China's state-supported shipyards is a

heavy lift.

Last year, the U.S. shipyards built fewer than 10 commercial

ships, while China's turned out well over 1,000, military and

industry analysts said.

China over the last two decades has propelled itself to the

No. 1 position globally and its biggest shipyards handle both

commercial and military projects.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy's fiscal year 2025 plan said U.S.

commercial shipbuilding has experienced a near-total collapse

and called for the long-term revitalization of that industry to

bolster Navy shipbuilding.

MSC - the largest containership operator - placed orders for

12 of those vessels to be built in China since USTR announced

the port fees in April this year, the CSIS report said.

Switzerland-based MSC, like peers Hapag-Lloyd ( HLAGF ),

Maersk and CMA CGM, has taken China-linked ships

off U.S. trade routes, limiting or negating the new fees.

HSBC analysts said China's COSCO Shipping is

most exposed with estimated 2026 port fees of $1.5 billion.

President Donald Trump has been a cheerleader for U.S.

shipbuilders, seeking alliances and investments from

powerhouses like South Korea.