According to reports, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has become the latest liner company to adjust its U.S. route deployment due to new port fees levied by the U.S. on Chinese-made vessels.

MSC has informed shippers that it will bear the related costs even if it cannot completely avoid this new fee.

Soren Toft, CEO of MSC, stated in a customer announcement this week that MSC has proactively restructured its global vessel deployment network to accommodate the new regulations set to take effect on October 14 by the U.S. Trade Representative's office.

This fee will be levied based on the vessel's total tonnage or cargo container volume (whichever is higher), estimating an additional cost of $300 to $600 per container.

Soren Toft said, "This internal adjustment ensures that we fully comply with U.S. trade regulations while maintaining the reliability and efficiency of MSC services."

Before the announcement by Mediterranean Shipping Company, CMA CGM had already announced that they do not intend to charge customers the new additional fee for goods destined for the U.S. It has been revealed that COSCO Shipping also does not plan to levy additional fees.

According to Sea-web data, out of MSC's past vessels, 35 were made in China, some of which have been reassigned to non-U.S. routes. The docking history of Mediterranean Shipping Company's vessels in U.S. ports over the past five years shows that some ships have been reassigned to other routes.

The composition of MSC's fleet provides flexibility, with approximately half of the vessels built by South Korean shipbuilders and about a quarter constructed in Chinese shipyards. Currently, MSC has 106 new ship orders being built in Chinese shipyards, with no orders from South Korean shipyards.