China’s New Port Fees Force Cruise Lines to Reroute Ships

Cruise lines are adjusting their Asian itineraries after China introduced new “special port fees” for visiting cruise ships, a policy that could cost operators millions of dollars per voyage. The measure, effective October 14, is China’s response to recent tariffs imposed by the U.S. Trade Representative on Chinese vessels.

The new rules apply to any ship with U.S. connections — those owned, operated, flagged, or built in the United States — and levy steep charges when docking at Chinese ports. The impact was immediate: Oceania Cruises’ Riviera, operated by Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, was scheduled to visit Shanghai during a two-week Japan voyage but rerouted to Busan, South Korea, to avoid an estimated $1.6 million in port fees.

Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas, which homeports in Shanghai, received a temporary waiver from the Chinese government, allowing it to return without penalty. However, officials warned that such exemptions will not apply broadly, especially for foreign-based ships that include Chinese ports on their itineraries.

At a current rate of $56 per net ton, a ship the size of Spectrum of the Seas—169,379 gross tons with more than 7,000 passengers and crew—would owe over $9 million per visit. By 2028, as the fee rises to $157 per ton, that cost could exceed $26 million per docking.

The steep new charges have already led Disney Cruise Line and other U.S.-based operators to reconsider future calls to China, while Swiss-owned MSC Cruises’ Bellissima, sailing under Malta’s flag, remains unaffected.

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