{"id":101472,"date":"2026-02-24T22:46:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T01:46:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/895274240"},"modified":"2026-02-24T22:46:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T01:46:42","slug":"shipping-new-uncertainty-from-the-u-s-maritime-action-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/shipping-new-uncertainty-from-the-u-s-maritime-action-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Shipping: New Uncertainty from the U.S. Maritime Action Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>he maritime industry is facing a renewed level of uncertainty after the recent release of the U.S. Maritime Action Plan. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Intermodal said that \u201cthe U.S. Administration has released its Maritime Action Plan on 13th February 2026, outlining a structured programme to rebuild domestic shipbuilding capacity, expand the U.S.-flag fleet and strengthen maritime industrial resilience. Although presented primarily as an economic and national security initiative, several elements of the plan are directly relevant to commercial shipping markets\u201d.<\/p>\n

According to Mr. Yiannis Parganas, Head of Research Department with Intermodal, \u201cone of the most commercially significant proposals is the introduction of a fee on foreign-built vessels carrying imports into U.S. ports. The charge would be calculated on the weight of inbound cargo, with illustrative levels ranging from 1 cent to 25 cents per kilogram. Given that the overwhelming majority of vessels calling the United States are foreign-built, the measure would apply across container, dry bulk, tanker and vehicle carrier segments. In effect, this functions as an additional import-related transport cost linked to maritime movements rather than a traditional tariff\u201d.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Source: Intermodal<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe degree to which this cost is absorbed by owners, charterers or cargo interests will depend on freight market conditions and contractual structures. In tighter markets, a pass-through to shippers appears likely. For container trades in particular, the potential exposure per voyage could become material depending on vessel size, utilisation and average cargo weight. Exports are not currently expected to be subject to the fee, limiting direct implications for outbound U.S. crude, LNG or agricultural cargoes\u201d, Mr. Parganas noted.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

He added that \u201cthe Plan also introduces a new maritime preference requirement under which an increasing share of U.S.-bound containerised cargo would need to be transported on qualifying U.S. vessels. While specific targets have not yet been set, the direction of policy is clear: create predictable demand for U.S.-built and U.S.-flag tonnage. In parallel, the government intends to strengthen existing support mechanisms and establish a Strategic Commercial Fleet consisting of internationally trading U.S.-built vessels that would receive financial support for construction and operation\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor operators, any binding cargo allocation rules would represent a structural change in participation on U.S. trades. The near-term constraint will be the limited number of internationally trading U.S.-flag vessels. Scaling that fleet will require time, financing and yard capacity. The Plan explicitly acknowledges this by referencing a transitional approach under which initial vessels in a series may be built abroad while domestic construction capability is expanded\u201d, Intermodal\u2019s analyst said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Source: Intermodal<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cBeyond fleet measures, the programme includes broader efforts to modernise shipyards, incentivise private investment, and develop domestic production of key maritime components. If implemented effectively, these steps could gradually increase U.S. participation in commercial shipbuilding, although the timeline for meaningful capacity expansion is likely to extend over several years. Overall, the Maritime Action Plan does not imply an immediate shift in global fleet supply. Its impact will instead depend on legislative approval, budget allocation and the pace of implementation. However, if enacted in substance, the measures would introduce additional cost considerations for vessels trading into the United States and could gradually alter competitive dynamics in U.S.-related trades over the medium to longer term\u201d, the analysis concluded.
Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… are directly relevant to commercial shipping<\/span> markets\u00e2\u0080\u009d. According to Mr. Yiannis … owners, charterers or cargo<\/span> interests will depend on freight<\/span> market conditions and … U.S. participation in commercial shipbuilding<\/span>, although the timeline for meaningful …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101472\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}