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News Report: Chamber official tells US trade body its $1M port fee 'makes no sense'

  • BCCEC
  • 23 minutes ago
  • 2 min read

Published by Chester Robards, The Nassau Guardian, March 25th, 2025


The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers’ Confederation’s (BCCEC) labor division head Peter Goudie submitted comments to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on its proposed trade action that will impose a port fee of $1 million per port call on any Chinese-built vessel calling at US ports, essentially calling the move nonsensical.


As with other comments submitted to the USTR ahead of yesterday’s and today’s hearing on the “Proposed Action Pursuant to the Section 301 Investigation of China’s Targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance”, Goudie pointed out that the change in port fees – that on the face of it seems like it would punish Chinese ship builders – will have the effect of raising the cost of goods in the US and countries that depend on US goods, as well as foreign goods that come through US ports.


“The $1,000,000 service fee will increase costs substantially for goods delivered to the USA, which in turn will drive up costs for importers of goods from the USA,” Goudie wrote to the USTR on Saturday.


“This will greatly impact most countries in The Caribbean, especially The Bahamas, which imports the vast majority of its goods from Florida.


“This will also force The Bahamas to find alternate suppliers in Canada, Mexico and Latin America, which will reduce business done by USA suppliers. This will most certainly affect most Americans, driving up inflation, which makes no sense.”


Caribbean businesses and lawmakers have also submitted comments to the USTR decrying the proposed fees. They are hoping advocacy to the USTR will lead to the carving out of exemptions to the agency’s plan for the Caribbean region, if they follow through with the plan to increase fees imposed on Chinese-built ships.


Head of the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Private Sector Organization (CPSO) Dr. Patrick Antoine was expected to testify at a hearing at the USTR headquarters yesterday.

It is understood that leaders from across the Caribbean will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jamaica this week, and plan to express their opposition to the USTR’s proposed fee.


Several people who identified themselves as being from the US Virgin Islands also told the USTR that given their high percentage of imported goods, the fee on vessels will increase food prices that are already double the prices in the US.





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