The White House released the United States’ Maritime Action Plan on February 13, 2026, as reported by NorthStandard. The document sets out policy directions for a range of maritime initiatives under consideration by U.S. authorities.
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The plan covers a broad range of policy areas relating to the U.S. commercial maritime sector, including shipbuilding, workforce development, port infrastructure, and trade-related measures. It refers to continued diplomatic engagement with U.S. allies and trading partners to ensure alignment with goals for promoting U.S. shipbuilding and to secure commitments related to shipping and shipbuilding under the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade Framework.
The plan addresses themes previously raised during a United States Trade Representative Section 301 investigation, including a 2025 announcement of port service fees on Chinese ship owners and operators and owners of Chinese-built ships calling at U.S. ports. Following trade negotiations, the United States and China agreed to a suspension of these port service fees on October 30, 2025. This one-year suspension was implemented on November 10, 2025 and remains in effect.
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The Maritime Action Plan references additional port-related levies as a recommended policy action. This action proposes establishing a universal infrastructure or security fee on all foreign-built commercial vessels calling at U.S. ports, to be assessed on the weight of the imported tonnage arriving on the vessel. According to the plan, a fee of one cent per kilogram on foreign-built ships would yield roughly 66 billion dollars in revenue over ten years, while a fee of 25 cents per kilogram would yield close to 1.5 trillion dollars, which could be used for a Maritime Security Trust Fund. The policy rationale states that as foreign-built vessels benefit from U.S. market access, they should contribute to the revitalization of American maritime capabilities.
NorthStandard notes it is not aware of any detailed basis for these revenue figures or any draft legislation or implementation framework being published. The firm states it will continue to monitor developments.
Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform
