According to foreign media reports, under the new regulations for tariffs imposed on China under Section 301 by the United States Trade Representative's Office (USTR), Atlantic Container Line's (ACL) roll-on/roll-off vessels have been classified as vehicle transport ships.

ACL had initially expected its vessels to be exempt from related fees since their capacity did not reach the threshold of 4,000 standard containers, which was an exemption condition in the USTR fee regulations effective from October 14.

However, ACL's vessels with a capacity of 3,800 standard containers also have high-weight heavy rolling decks of 28,900 square meters, leading these ships to be classified as automobile transport ships by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, despite these decks accounting for only 20% of the total cargo volume.

As per CNBC, the U.S. port charges came into effect on October 14, with one of ACL's ships docking at a U.S. port that day paying $1.4 million in port fees.

ACL operates five ships weekly across the Atlantic, each ship allowed a maximum of five stops at U.S. ports per year, with each stop incurring these port fees.

Andrew Abbott, CEO of ACL, told CNBC, "This means that 25 ships will be subject to tariffs of $1.4 million annually, and we expect the total annual tariffs to reach $34 million."

"These ships should be classified as our primary cargo type, which is containers. We have always been considered container ships. But this time, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reclassified them as roll-on/roll-off container ships."

Abbott warned that these fees could force the company to exit the route long-term, and U.S. customers transporting plants and heavy goods by ACL vessels may have to charter whole ships instead of purchasing space from ACL.

Abbott stated that customers are incredulous about the charges imposed by the U.S. Trade Representative's Office.

"They had no idea we would be affected. We are working hard to communicate this to everyone, and the severity of the situation is shocking. Importers are currently grappling with tariff issues, and now with these fees, it could lead to bankruptcies."