The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is in favour of a strengthening of the US shipbuilding industry, which is One of the objectives of the new federal administration announced by Donald Trump, also because a shipbuilding sector strong and competitive shipping benefits trade and the shipping industry itself, which wants to have more options than fewer, but the proposed new taxes on ships built or operated in China by the new administration in Washington risk having important unintended consequences. The secretary said General of the ICS, Guy Platten, during the public hearings which ended yesterday at the U.S. Trade office Representative who is part of the Executive Office of the President and which were carried out as part of the investigations on China's objectives in the maritime, logistics and that were started when the tenant of the House White was Joe Biden.

The ICS believes that the new port fees charged to ships could cause supply chain disruption and increase costs for U.S. consumers and exporters, and reduce competitiveness in vital US sectors such as those of agriculture, energy and production industrial. "If you look at our sector," said said Mr Platten at his hearing - the shipping sector is One of the most cost-optimized in the world. The model - explained the ICS Secretary General - is Designed to reduce costs without compromising the standards of security, so that goods can travel efficiently to and from nations, to the benefit of economies and populations of those nations. The shipping industry - has emphasized - it is not like a traditional activity, it is unique".

According to the ICS, the measures proposed by the Trump administration in the Chinese ships, "as they are currently conceived, will not discourage shipbuilding, while they could severely disrupt supply chains and threaten energy security, and ultimately the U.S. prevent US companies from accessing the ships on which they make entrustment". "These measures - specified Guy Platten in his hearing - could damage our customers, that is, the American people. They will make vital U.S. exports that are less globally competitive. That is detrimental to jobs, whether in ports or factories, and for the American shipping industry, which is This is exactly what you are trying to support."

A "strong opposition" to the introduction of port fees in the USA charged to Chinese ships has been expressed in his hearing with the U.S. Trade Representative also by the World Shipping Council (WSC), the association that represents the world's leading shipping companies in the container shipping sector and which is associate member of the ICS. The opposition to the measures devised by the new US administration are based on the same arguments put forward by the ICS: "these proposals - said the CEO of the WSC, Joe Kramek - will lead to increased costs for exporters and U.S. consumers as well as inefficiencies in the supply chain chains, without providing China with effective incentives to changes its actions, policies and practices. The economic impacts would affect the entire economy, with a negative effect on companies, consumers and especially on farmers who export price-sensitive raw materials".

The proposed port fees, if adopted, "They would generate congestion in the largest ports while reducing service in smaller ports given whereas ship operators would minimise the number of U.S. ports that their ships make on every route".

According to the World Shipping Council, moreover, the imposition of New port fees for Chinese ships would not be a measure permitted by the U.S. Trade Act of 1974. In particular - he Kramek argued in his hearing - "generate the demand for domestic products and increase government revenues, both for support a national industry that for other purposes, are not eligible for U.S. Trade Section 301 stocks Act of 1974, which was enacted for the purpose of "determine the elimination of activities, foreign policies and practices in question"'.