Seatrade Maritime News: USTR proposals would inflate US energy costs

March 30, 2025 Proposals put forward by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to penalise owners of Chinese-built tankers calling at US ports could inflate oil prices at home and abroad. Analysis by shipbroker, Poten & Partners, reveals that the total tanker fleet of more than 10,000dwt consists of 6,891 vessels, 47% of which were built in South Korea, 22% in China, and 19% in Japan. The US-built tanker fleet, in contrast, is made up of just 59 vessels, less than 1% of the global fleet. Although the USTR proposals have not yet been given the go-ahead, Poten warns that if they were imposed on the tanker sector, a large proportion of the global tanker fleet could not trade economically to the US. Both US exports and imports would become more expensive for US-based charterers, the broker pointed out.

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