With the U.S. set to begin phasing in new fees on Chinese-linked vessels on October 14, Maersk told customers it will not add a surcharge or alter service plans — even as major shipowner Seaspan moves to reflag roughly 100 ships, a sign that owners are reshuffling compliance risk ahead of the deadline.
Maersk’s advisory, issued September 23, says the carrier will “apply no surcharge” and foresees “no service changes” in response to the government’s Section 301 action, which rolls out over three years and targets maritime transport services provided by Chinese‑owned and Chinese‑built vessels calling U.S. ports. That stance removes one immediate worry for U.S. importers and motor carriers who feared a fresh wave of pass‑through fees this fall.
The policy backdrop is hardening. On September 23, five U.S. labor unions urged Congress to pass the SHIPS for America Act to lock in long‑term funding for domestic shipbuilding, paid for in part by the forthcoming fee revenue. Analysts cited in the same push estimate COSCO alone could be on the hook for as much as $1.5 billion within a year of implementation — a figure that underscores why carriers and tonnage providers are reworking fleet lineups and, in Seaspan’s case, shifting flags.
For trucking, the near‑term signal is stability — but not stasis. If Maersk and other lines keep ocean surcharges at bay while they reshuffle vessel deployment to minimize exposure, U.S. gateways could see subtle rotations that change where and when boxes land. That can tighten or slacken drayage demand market by market, while pulling more volume through the biggest import hubs and amplifying the importance of reliable chassis pools and rail ramps to keep inland flows fluid. Over‑the‑road carriers tied to port drays should watch weekly service updates closely for any slide in frequency at secondary terminals; even small cutbacks can cascade into longer street turns and higher dwell if empty returns cluster mid‑week.
Seaspan’s planned reflagging wave matters operationally even if it doesn’t move a single container today. Flag and operator status determine how a vessel is treated under the rule set — and reflagging is a tool owners can use, alongside swapping which ships call the U.S., to manage fee exposure. For U.S. truckers, the downstream effect shows up in schedule reliability and box availability: when owners redeploy compliant tonnage onto U.S. strings, service can stabilize; when fleets juggle charters to avoid fees, blank sailings or bunching can creep in, creating feast‑or‑famine days at the gate.
What to do now:
– Ask BCOs and NVOs to flag any rotation changes two to four weeks ahead of time so drayage capacity can be repositioned.
– Build “swing day” flexibility into pickup windows; a single rolled call can push hundreds of loads from Friday to Monday.
– Coordinate with rail partners on stack cut‑off adjustments; inland ramps may shoulder more volume if carriers consolidate U.S. calls at fewer ports.
– Monitor carrier advisories through October 14 and into Q4; even where ocean prices hold, terminal rules, appointment windows, and free‑time policies can shift as volumes rebalance.
The headline today: ocean carriers are absorbing the policy shock rather than instantly passing it through. But as fees step up over the next three years, vessel choices — not published surcharges — may be the lever lines pull. U.S. trucking networks that stay nimble on port mix and dwell management will be best positioned to ride that curve.
Sources: FreightWaves, Maersk, Reuters
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