{"id":90921,"date":"2026-02-16T10:59:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T13:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/892766336"},"modified":"2026-02-16T10:59:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T13:59:19","slug":"free-to-read-explainer-the-usa-maritime-action-plan-and-whata-ita-means-fora-shippinga-linesa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/free-to-read-explainer-the-usa-maritime-action-plan-and-whata-ita-means-fora-shippinga-linesa\/","title":{"rendered":"Free to read: Explainer: The US\u00c2\u00a0Maritime Action Plan and what\u00c2\u00a0it\u00c2\u00a0means for\u00c2\u00a0shipping\u00c2\u00a0lines\u00c2\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"dreamstime_s_40319522\" <\/p>\n

\u00a9 gopixa |<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
By The Loadstar team<\/a><\/address>\n

The White House\u2019s 13 February <\/span>Maritime Action Plan (MAP) <\/span>sets out an ambitious strategy: to rebuild US shipbuilding and reduce dependence on foreign-built and foreign-flagged vessels <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

For international shipping lines, the document contains several proposals that could materially affect operating costs, cargo allocation, port routing, and long-term market access.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a breakdown of the measures most likely to affect global carriers first.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

A universal fee on foreign-built vessels<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

The MAP calls for a \u201cuniversal infrastructure or security fee\u201d on all foreign-built commercial vessels calling at US ports,<\/span> assessed based on the weight of imported cargo.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Illustrative figures in the document suggest:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

$0.01 per kg would raise $66bn over 10 years<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

$0.25 per kg would raise $1.5trn over 10 years <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

No rate has been fixed.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly the entire global container fleet is foreign-built. In practice, this would function as:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

1) a de facto surcharge on most international liner operators;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

2) a potential pass-through cost to shippers;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

3) a possible distortion between US-built niche operators and global carriers.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

At higher illustrative levels (eg @ $0.25\/kg), this would dwarf current port fees and materially alter trade economics.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Even at $0.01\/kg, the sums become significant on large-volume Asia\u2013US services.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Tightening cargo preference rules<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

The MAP proposes:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

1) increasing the percentage of US government cargo that must move on US-flagged vessels; <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

2) creating a new United States Maritime Preference Requirement (USMPR) for high-volume exporting economies to transport an increasing share of US-bound containerised cargo on qualifying US vessels. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

If implemented, this could:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

1) redirect some cargo away from global liner networks;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

2) strengthen US-flag operators backed by subsidy;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

3) introduce quota-like dynamics into certain tradelanes.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

For carriers heavily exposed to US government-linked exports or strategic cargo, this could reduce addressable volumes.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Land port maintenance tax<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

To prevent cargo diversion via Canada or Mexico, the MAP proposes a 0.125% tax on goods entering through land ports, mirroring the existing Harbor Maintenance Fee.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

This is designed to stop shippers avoiding maritime-related charges by routing via:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

1) Vancouver\u2013rail;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

2) Lazaro Cardenas\u2013truck\/rail;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

3) Canadian east coast intermodal.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

If both sea and land entries face aligned charges, routing flexibility narrows.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

For carriers competing with intermodal cross-border strategies, this reduces arbitrage options.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Strategic commercial fleet (SCF)<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

The plan proposes creating a Strategic Commercial Fleet (SCF) of internationally trading US-built, US-flagged vessels, supported financially for both construction and operation.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

This is effectively <\/span>a subsidy to US carriers, <\/span>backed by construction and operating support and <\/span>designed to complement existing Maritime Security Program fleets.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

While the scale is undefined, this could introduce state-supported competition in certain trades.<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Potential trade measures linked to China<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

The MAP references action taken under the Section 301 investigation into China\u2019s maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding dominance.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Although currently suspended, the framework exists for:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

1) service fees on foreign-built vehicle carriers;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

2) restrictions on certain maritime transport services.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The MAP signals continued willingness to use trade enforcement tools in shipping.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Arctic and autonomous priorities<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

The plan prioritises:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

1) Arctic route development;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

2) ice-breaking capability expansion<\/span>;<\/span><\/p>\n

3) robotic and autonomous maritime systems. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

While less immediate for liner trades, this suggests a long-term industrial policy aimed at reshaping parts of the fleet and route network.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Timings<\/strong><\/p>\n

Importantly, however, none of the new fees are in force; legislative action would be required, and no effective dates are specified.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The administration intends to send a legislative package after the FY2027 budget process, which implies medium- to long-term implementation, rather than immediate tariff-style activation. <\/span><\/p>\n

International carriers serving the US will need to monitor:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

1) legislative movement on the Maritime Security Trust Fund;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

2) draft language on the foreign-built vessel fee;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

3) cargo preference expansion details;<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

4) any revival of Section 301 maritime measures.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

You can read the full plan here: <\/a>Restoring-America\u2019s-Maritime-Dominance<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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

… foreign-flagged vessels \u00c2\u00a0 For international shipping<\/span> lines, the document contains several … government-linked exports or strategic cargo<\/span>, this could reduce addressable … China\u00e2\u0080\u0099s maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding<\/span> dominance.\u00c2\u00a0 Although currently suspended, the …<\/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-90921","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\/90921","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=90921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90921\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}