CARICOM Secures Exemption From USTR Port Fees on China-Built Vessels Following Regionwide Advocacy

The Caribbean Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) has expressed gratitude to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for its decision to exempt Caribbean shipping from newly proposed high port fees on China-built vessels, a move the CPSO says safeguards regional economies from inflation, supply chain disruptions, and surging trade costs. The exemption, issued on April 17, follows a proposed USTR measure that would have imposed port fees in excess of US$1 million per vessel call at U.S. ports for operators with China-built fleets. The CPSO warned the fees would have disproportionately impacted Caribbean shipping routes, potentially driving up shipping costs by an unsustainable margin while disrupting goods movement across the CARICOM region. “This Determination…exempts Caribbean shipping from the high port fees,” CPSO stated in an official release. “These [fees] would have increased the cost of shipping between the Caribbean and the United States, with crippling con...