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日本海事新聞ニュース Japan Maritime Daily Jun 09, 2025 (Mon)

US Port Fees Drive Bulker Orders From Chinese to Japanese Shipyards

Inquiries to avoid Chinese construction gradually increasing

　Following the United States’ announcement of its plan to introduce port entry fees on Chinese-built ・・・続きはログインして下さいnext %E3%80%80Following+the+United+States%E2%80%99+announcement+of+its+plan+to+introduce+port+entry+fees+on+Chinese-built+ships%2C+there+have+been+several+cases+of+overseas+shipowners%2C+who+appear+to+be+avoiding+the+risks+of+Chinese+yards%2C+approaching+Japanese+shipyards+with+inquiries+about+new+construction+projects+for+small+and+medium-sized+bulkers.+Although+the+number+of+such+inquiries+is+not+large%2C+they+have+begun+to+appear+here+and+there+among+Japanese+shipbuilding+companies+over+the+past+month.+However%2C+with+ship+prices+at+Chinese+shipyards+showing+a+tendency+to+soften%2C+%E2%80%9Cthe+majority+of+shipowners+are+responding+that+the+prices+offered+by+Japanese+shipyards+are+too+high%2C%E2%80%9C+according+to+a+person+involved+in+the+new+shipbuilding+market.+With+the+outlook+for+dry+bulk+market+conditions+difficult+to+predict+due+to+factors+such+as+the+impact+of+US+tariff+policies%2C+they+appear+to+be+hesitant+to+place+orders.+%3Cbr%3E+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%80%9CSince+the+Office+of+the+United+States+Trade+Representative+%28USTR%29+announced+in+mid-April+its+plan+to+impose+port+entry+fees+on+Chinese-built+ships+from+October%2C+we+have+been+receiving+inquiries+for+small+and+medium-sized+bulkers+from+overseas+shipowners+in+Europe+and+other+countries+who+seemed+to+have+become+reluctant+to+place+orders+for+newbuildings+with+Chinese+shipyards.+There+hasn%E2%80%99t+been+a+noticeable+increase+in+cases%2C+but+they+have+been+trickling+in+over+the+past+month.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Several+Japanese+shipyard+officials+said+the+following.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80However%2C+the+chances+of+these+inquiries+materializing+and+resulting+in+a+deal+do+not+appear+to+be+high+at+this+point.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%80%9CMany+of+the+overseas+shipowners+who+are+believed+to+have+made+inquiries+with+the+intention+of+avoiding+construction+in+China+have+responded+that+the+new+shipbuilding+prices+currently+being+offered+by+Japanese+shipyards+are+significantly+higher+than+those+offered+by+Chinese+shipyards%2C+and+so+are+not+in+the+mood+to+proceed+with+orders+at+the+moment%2C%E2%80%9C+said+a+source+in+the+new+shipbuilding+market.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Regarding+high-quality+Chinese+shipyards+that+have+a+track+record+of+receiving+orders+for+small+and+medium-sized+bulkers+from+Japanese+shipowners%2C+there+are+reports+that+some+orders+for+ships+from+overseas+shipowners+have+been+canceled+since+February%2C+when+the+USTR+first+announced+its+idea+to+impose+port+entry+fees+on+Chinese-built+ships.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80It+is+unclear+whether+this+is+the+cause%2C+but+a+Japanese+ship+owner+said+that+the+prices+of+small+and+medium-sized+bulkers+offered+to+shipowners+by+Chinese+shipyards+have+%E2%80%9Ccurrently+been+softening%2C+with+the+price+gap+with+Japanese-built+ships+becoming+larger+than+last+year.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80On+the+other+hand%2C+although+the+ship+prices+offered+by+Japanese+shipyards+have+weakened+slightly+from+their+recent+peak+last+fall%2C+%E2%80%9Cthey+are+generally+remaining+at+the+same+high+level+as+last+year%2C%E2%80%9C+according+to+a+person+involved+in+the+new+shipbuilding+market.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Major+Japanese+shipbuilding+companies+are+focusing+on+new+shipbuilding+negotiations+for+deliveries+in+the+first+half+of+2029%2C+with+slipways+already+booked+up+to+futures%2C+and+%E2%80%9Cwith+increasing+upward+pressure+on+equipment+and+material+prices%2C+it+is+not+an+environment+in+which+ship+prices+can+be+lowered%2C%E2%80%9C+according+to+a+Japanese+shipyard+official.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80As+ship+prices+at+Japanese+shipyards+remain+high%2C+overseas+shipowners+who+have+been+avoiding+Chinese+construction+and+have+been+making+inquiries+to+Japan+are+%E2%80%9Ccurrently+finding+it+difficult+to+make+moves+to+proceed+with+newbuilding+programs%2C+given+the+many+uncertainties+and+the+difficulty+in+predicting+the+future+of+the+dry+bulk+market%2C%E2%80%9C+including+the+Trump+administration%E2%80%99s+port+entry+fee+system+and+tariff+policies%2C+according+to+a+person+involved+in+a+new+shipbuilding+market.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+2022%2C+when+Russia%E2%80%99s+invasion+of+Ukraine+began%2C+the+number+of+shipowners+wary+of+rising+political%2C+economic+and+geopolitical+risks+in+China%2C+including+a+Taiwan+emergency%2C+gradually+increased.+There+have+been+several+cases+in+which+Japanese+shipyards+have+received+inquiries+for+new+construction+of+small+and+medium-sized+bulkers+not+only+from+shipowners+who+have+always+been+friendly+with+Japanese+shipyards%2C+but+also+from+European+and+American+shipowners+who+had+previously+placed+orders+only+with+Chinese+shipyards%2C+placing+emphasis+on+low+ship+prices.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80At+the+time%2C+some+shipowners+were+avoiding+the+risks+of+Chinese+shipyards+and+decided+to+order+small+and+medium-sized+bulkers+from+Japanese+shipyards+at+exceptionally+high+prices+that+were+significantly+higher+than+the+market+price.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80However%2C+at+present%2C+there+are+a+number+of+destabilizing+factors+in+the+global+economy%2C+including+Russia%E2%80%99s+invasion+of+Ukraine%2C+the+destabilization+of+the+Red+Sea+situation%2C+and+tensions+between+the+US+and+China+due+to+the+Trump+administration%E2%80%99s+tariff+policy%2C+so+%E2%80%9Cmany+shipowners+are+taking+a+wait-and-see+approach+to+newbuilding+program%2C%E2%80%9C+according+to+the+same+source.+%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EDisclaimer%3A+The+English+translations+provided+through+this+service+are+the+result+of+translations+made+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+or+automatically+and+mechanically+translated+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+using+an+automated+translation+system+provided+by+a+third+party+after+certain+processing+of+the+Japanese+content+licensed+by+the+third+party.+In+terms+of+the+English+translation%2C+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+and+MarineNet+Co.%2C+Ltd.+make+no+warranty+or+burden+of+any+kind%2C+express+or+implied%2C+including+its+accuracy%2C+reliability%2C+validity+or+fitness+for+a+particular+purpose.+MarineNet+Users+should+fully+understand+that+this+service+uses+an+automated+translation+system+that+automatically+and+mechanically+recognizes+and+analyzes+information+and+produces+results.+The+users+should+understand+the+above+conditions+before+using+this+service.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E5%85%8D%E8%B2%AC%E4%BA%8B%E9%A0%85%EF%BC%9A%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%82%92%E4%BB%8B%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B%E3%81%95%E3%82%8C%E3%82%8B%E8%8B%B1%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%BD%9C%E6%88%90%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%81%8B%E3%80%81%E5%8F%88%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89%E4%BD%BF%E7%94%A8%E8%A8%B1%E8%AB%BE%E3%82%92%E5%8F%97%E3%81%91%E3%81%9F%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%86%E3%83%B3%E3%83%84%E3%82%92%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%B8%80%E5%AE%9A%E3%81%AE%E5%87%A6%E7%90%86%E3%82%92%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A7%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8C%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%A0%E3%82%92%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%9A%84%E3%83%BB%E6%A9%9F%E6%A2%B0%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AB%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E7%B5%90%E6%9E%9C%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%80%81%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E5%BD%93%E8%A9%B2%E8%8B%B1%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%AB%E9%96%A2%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%80%81%E3%81%9D%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%A3%E7%A2%BA%E6%80%A7%E3%80%81%E4%BF%A1%E9%A0%BC%E6%80%A7%E3%80%81%E5%A6%A5%E5%BD%93%E6%80%A7%E5%8F%8A%E3%81%B3%E7%89%B9%E5%AE%9A%E7%9B%AE%E7%9A%84%E3%81%B8%E3%81%AE%E9%81%A9%E5%90%88%E6%80%A7%E3%82%92%E5%90%AB%E3%82%81%E3%80%81%E6%98%8E%E7%A4%BA%E5%8F%88%E3%81%AF%E9%BB%99%E7%A4%BA%E3%81%AB%E3%82%82%E3%80%81%E3%81%84%E3%81%8B%E3%81%AA%E3%82%8B%E4%BF%9D%E8%A8%BC%E3%82%82%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%80%82%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%83%A6%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B6%E3%83%BC%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%81%8C%E3%80%81%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%9A%84%E3%81%8B%E3%81%A4%E6%A9%9F%E6%A2%B0%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AB%E6%83%85%E5%A0%B1%E3%82%92%E8%AA%8D%E8%AD%98%E3%83%BB%E5%88%86%E6%9E%90%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E7%B5%90%E6%9E%9C%E3%82%92%E5%87%BA%E5%8A%9B%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%A0%E3%82%92%E4%BD%BF%E7%94%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8%E3%82%92%E5%8D%81%E5%88%86%E3%81%AB%E7%90%86%E8%A7%A3%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A7%E3%80%81%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%82%92%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%82%82%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99%E3%80%82%3Cbr%3E