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President Trump Suspends USTR Section 301 Vessel Fees
The White House announced a one-year suspension to the vessel fees and other actions previously announced under Section 301. The suspension will take effect November 10.
The announcement followed trade negotiations between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Korea. The two leaders reached various agreements on trade and economic issues aimed at deescalating recent trade tensions.
The White House issued a brief fact sheet announcing the suspension on November 1: “The United States will suspend for one year, starting on November 10, 2025, implementation of the responsive actions taken pursuant to the Section 301 investigation on China’s Targeting the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance. In the meantime, the United States will negotiate with China pursuant to Section 301 while continuing its historic cooperation with the Republic of Korea and Japan on revitalizing American shipbuilding.”
Earlier this year, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced sweeping vessel fees among other actions following an investigation of China’s dominance in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors. USTR found China’s practices to be unreasonable and to burden or restrict US commerce. The fees affected Chinese-made and owned vessels as well as foreign-made vehicle vessels. The fees had just gone into effect on October 14. As of yet, there are no details on whether fees collected so far from ocean carriers will be refunded.
FMC Operations Remain Suspended Due to Federal Government Shutdown
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) remains closed as part of the federal government shutdown that began October 1st. The FMC’s regulations, however, remain in force during the federal government shutdown. There continues to be no impact on FMC filing for new and amended tariff rates and rules, VOCC Service Contracts (SCs), NVOCC Service Arrangements (NSAs), or Negotiated Rate Arrangements (NRAs).
During the shutdown, the Commission is not accepting new or amended NVOCC registrations, new or amended NVOCC licenses, and new or amended VOCC registrations. The FMC is also not accepting new or updated VOCC and MTO agreements, formal or informal complaints, or any filings in proceedings pending before the Commission.
The Commission’s online databases: SERVCON, the VOCC and NVOCC Tariff List, List of FMC Licensed and Bonded OTIs, and the Agreement Notices and Library will remain accessible. Commission staff will not update these databases during the federal government shutdown.
Upon reopening of the federal government, the public may contact the Office of the Secretary at (202) 523-5725 or Secretary@fmc.gov with any questions.
The Commission published a detailed shutdown plan, which may be viewed at www.fmc.gov.
President Trump Nominates Two New FMC Commissioners
President Donald Trump nominated Laura DiBella and Robert Harvey to be Commissioners at the Federal Maritime Commission. DiBella is nominated for a term expiring June 30, 2028, and Harvey is nominated for a term expiring June 30, 2029. Both DiBella and Harvey are from Florida. President Trump did not designate either nominee as the FMC Chairman. The FMC has been without a Chairman since June 2025 when Chairman Louis Sola departed the position.
DiBella is currently a government relations advisor at the law firm, Adams & Reese. Prior to joining Adams & Reese, DiBella served as President of Business Development at FloridaCommerce, President/CEO at Enterprise Florida, and President of the Florida Opportunity Fund. DiBella also has prior maritime experience. She was the Executive Director of Florida Harbor Pilots Association from 2019 to 2022. She also served as Port Director of Port of Fernandina Ocean Highway and Port Authority from 2017 to 2019. Prior to that she worked as the Executive Director of Nassau County Economic Development Board. She has also been a Florida licensed real estate broker for over 20 years.
Harvey currently serves as General Counsel for Enterprise Florida, Inc. and as Executive Director for both the Florida Opportunity Fund, Inc. and the Florida Development Finance Corporation. Prior to joining these entities, Harvey was a founding partner of the law firm Jenks & Harvey LLP in West Palm Beach, specializing in securities litigation, arbitration, and regulation. Harvey began his career with the United States Navy, where he served on active duty from 1987 to 1990 as a Navy Judge Advocate and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney.
DiBella and Harvey’s nominations are now under consideration in the U.S. Senate. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on October 22, 2025 to consider the nominations. The Senate has not yet confirmed either nomination.
Transpacific Eastbound Carriers File GRIs Effective November 15, 2025, and December 1, 2025
Several leading carriers serving the Transpacific container trades have recently updated their respective tariffs to include new General Rate Increases (GRIs) effective November 15, 2025, including CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag Lloyd, HMM Company Limited, Ocean Network Express (ONE), Yang Ming, and ZIM. See table below for GRI amounts per 40ft container; GRI amounts for all other container sizes are as per formula. The November 15th GRIs will be the twenty-second GRI of 2025 for the East Asia/USA trade lane.
| TRANSPACIFIC EASTBOUND (Asia to USA) | |
|---|---|
| GENERAL RATE INCREASE (GRI) Effective November 15, 2025 | |
| Carrier | in USD, per 40ft ctr |
| CMA CGM | 2000 |
| COSCO (note 1) | 3000 |
| Evergreen (note 2) | 3000 |
| Hapag Lloyd | 3000 |
| HMM | 3000 |
| ONE | 1000 |
| Yang Ming | 2000 |
| ZIM | 2000 |
NOTE 1: COSCO GRIs apply on all cargo moving under service contracts only.
NOTE 2: Evergreen GRIs will be USD 3000 per 40ft container for dry cargo, and USD 3000 per reefer container. GRI amounts for all other container sizes are as per formula.
Some carriers also updated their tariffs to include new General Rate Increases (GRIs) effective December 1, 2025, including CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag Lloyd, HMM Company Limited, Ocean Network Express (ONE), Yang Ming, and ZIM. See table below for GRI amounts per 40ft container; GRI amounts for all other container sizes are as per formula. The December 1st GRIs will be the twenty-third GRI of 2025 for the East Asia/USA trade lane.
| TRANSPACIFIC EASTBOUND (Asia to USA) | |
|---|---|
| GENERAL RATE INCREASE (GRI) Effective December 1, 2025 | |
| Carrier | in USD, per 40ft ctr |
| CMA CGM | 2000 |
| COSCO (note 1) | 3000 |
| Evergreen (note 2) | 3000 |
| Hapag Lloyd | 3000 |
| HMM | 3000 |
| ONE | 1000 |
| Yang Ming | 2000 |
| Zim | 2000 |
NOTE 1: COSCO GRIs apply on all cargo moving under service contracts only.
NOTE 2: Evergreen GRIs will be USD 3000 per 40ft container for dry cargo, and USD 3000 per reefer container. GRI amounts for all other container sizes are as per formula.
Each carrier maintains its own tariffs and controls its own pricing.
The information contained herein is obtained from reliable sources. It is subject to change at any time, however, depending on changes in laws and regulations. While we continually attempt to monitor this information, we do not guarantee its accuracy and are not responsible for any damages suffered by any party in reliance on it
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