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Italian carrier Grimaldi warns it could pull ships from US trades over port fees
Italian shipping group Grimaldi filed comments with the US Trade Representative (USTR) on October 30 backing the proposed two-month extension of the Section 301 port-fee suspension — due to expire November 9, 2026, with a proposed extension to January 9, 2027. The company asked USTR to go further and permanently exempt foreign-built vehicle carriers (Annex III fees, $46 per net ton) from the charges, warning it could otherwise redeploy ships out of US trades. Grimaldi said: "Many of our American customers have expressed concern at the thought of Grimaldi redeploying its ships out of US trades if the proposed further suspension of this Section 301 action is not implemented."
Italian shipping group Grimaldi filed comments with the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) on October 30 on the proposed extension of the Section 301 port-fee suspension on China-linked vessels — the current suspension expires November 9, 2026, and USTR has proposed extending it to January 9, 2027. Grimaldi backed the extension and asked USTR to go further: make permanent the suspension of Annex III fees — $46 per net ton — on foreign-built vehicle carriers, rather than leaving it temporary.
The company warned that without such a move, it could redeploy its ships out of US trades: "Many of our American customers have expressed concern at the thought of Grimaldi redeploying its ships out of US trades if the proposed further suspension of this Section 301 action is not implemented" — meaning, by the company's own account, its American customers are themselves already worried about a possible withdrawal of its ships.
The suspension has been in effect since November 10, 2025, and covers vessels owned or operated by Chinese companies (Annex I), Chinese-built vessels (Annex II), and foreign-built vehicle carriers (Annex III) — the last category being the one Grimaldi wants permanently exempted. USTR had not ruled on the extension as of publication.
Source: gCaptain, Oct 30, 2026 — https://gcaptain.com/grimaldi-warns-u-s-port-fees-could-force-ships-out-of-american-trades/; S&P Global, Oct 23, 2026 — https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/metals/102326-ustr-proposes-extending-port-fee-suspension-on-china-linked-ships-to-january
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