by Lloyd's List

A COSCO Shipping‑operated containership has skipped calls in China after reportedly becoming subject to the country’s newly imposed port fees on US‑linked vessels.

The 2,550 teu, South Korea-built Halley (IMO: 9275062) was chartered by the Chinese state‑owned giant in April this year under a two‑year deal and deployed on intra‑Asia services.

The vessel was designated for the charges because authorities determined the shipowner's US shareholding exceeded the 25% threshold set out by China’s Ministry of Transport, according to industry sources.

The rules, implemented on October 14, target US-linked ships, in retaliation for new port tariffs introduced on the same day by the US Trade Representative aimed at China’s maritime sector.

Few, however, had expected that Cosco Shipping, itself a prime target of the USTR policies, would see vessels under its operation become a casualty of Beijing’s special port fee regime.

“It may be China’s way of demonstrating strict and impartial enforcement — even state‑owned companies are not exempt,” a source close to the company said, adding that Halley was unlikely to be the only Cosco-chartered vessel affected.

Sources told Lloyd’s List the Liberia‑flagged ship had been waiting off Ningbo for several days while Cosco sought an exemption from the authorities.

An alternative plan was said to involve diverting to Hong Kong. The port city, a Chinese special administrative region, has confirmed it will not follow mainland China in applying the fees. However, both approaches appear to have made little progress.