Ships divert, directors resign as US-China port fees rock shipping industry

Shipping companies are rushing to divert vessels and adjust their corporate structures, as they strive to minimise their exposure to steep new US and Chinese port fees that took effect on Tuesday.

Hapag-Lloyd’s container ship Potomac Express skipped its scheduled call at Ningbo in eastern China and instead proceeded to Busan, South Korea. Cargo destined for or transiting through Ningbo would be discharged in Busan and then delivered to its final destination via Maersk’s network, Maersk said on Tuesday.

Maersk will make similar arrangements for its vessel Maersk Kinloss, which will also no longer call at Ningbo and head directly to South Korea, where any Ningbo-bound cargo will be unloaded and transported onwards via the company’s established network.

The company added that it would “be making changes” to its TP7 rotation – a transpacific shipping service operating between ports in Asia and North America, on which the two container ships sail – to ensure that customers’ supply chains continue running “as smoothly as possible”.