The Conundrum

In this week’s Roar: New fees on Chinese-built vessels, tariff updates on Canada and Mexico, new digitization standards, managing supply chain data, and new strategies for managing costs.

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has another proposal—impose port fees of up to $1.5 million on Chinese-built and operated vessels entering American ports. These fees, which could be considered as another form of tariffs, would aim to counteract China’s dominance in shipbuilding. However, it could also significantly increase costs for shipping companies utilizing Chinese-built ships, potentially disrupting global supply chains. The proposal also includes incentives for U.S.-built vessels and mandates for a portion of U.S. exports to be transported on U.S.-flagged and U.S.-built ships. A public hearing is scheduled for March 24 to discuss these measures.

President Trump stated again last week that tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico will proceed as planned on March 4. The tariffs include a 25% tax on all imports, with a reduced 10% rate specifically for Canadian energy products. He also says he plans to go ahead with a reciprocal trade plan. The reciprocal plan extends to Chinese imports as well, where he has added a 10% tariff. China has already retaliated, and both Canada and Mexico are ready to do the same, escalating the potential for a trade war between countries that were previously America’s closest allies and their top trading partners.

The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) has finalized its standardized framework for digitized bookings and bills of lading (B/Ls), known as Booking 2.0 and Bill of Lading 3.0. The goal is to accelerate the adoption of digital B/Ls and hopefully move the industry into a new era of interconnected trade. The new standards address the challenge of standardization in digitalizing B/Ls, and ensure that no single platform provider can monopolize the technology and/or become a gatekeeper of it.

At the recent Manifest 2025 conference, industry leaders discussed the challenges of managing supply chain data. Executives noted that while there is no lack of data, there are issues with putting it all together. It comes from various sources, and there are inconsistencies in formats, making effective decision-making difficult. A speaker from Microsoft suggests that developing shared standards for data formatting and storage could improve data alignment among stakeholders. But in contrast, the CEO of Auger argued against standards, emphasizing the need to process data in any format. And Dollar General’s VP of global inbound transportation put the emphasis on increased data transparency as a way to improve decision-making.

A recent Breakthrough report highlights that shippers and carriers are refining strategies to manage costs and reduce emissions. While 97% of shippers are making progress toward their sustainability targets, new pressures and heightened economic uncertainty are forcing them to cut expenses further. Carriers are looking at technology and equipment upgrades as a way to cut costs—or at least balance them. As for the freight market, it’s expected to shift from shipper-favorable to carrier-favorable in Q2, and both sides have begun to adjust their strategies.

For the rest of the week’s top shipping news, check out the article highlights below.