{"id":82565,"date":"2025-04-10T19:02:05","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T19:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bahamastradeinfo.gov.bs\/buy\/?p=82565"},"modified":"2025-04-23T19:16:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T19:16:36","slug":"chamber-official-tells-us-trade-body-its-1m-port-fee-makes-no-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bahamastradeinfo.gov.bs\/buy\/2025\/04\/10\/chamber-official-tells-us-trade-body-its-1m-port-fee-makes-no-sense\/","title":{"rendered":"Chamber official tells US trade body its $1M port fee ‘makes no sense’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Peter

BCCEC Labor Division Head Peter Goudie<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Policy will lead to a raise in the cost of goods in the US as well as foreign goods<\/h3>\n

The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers\u2019 Confederation\u2019s (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.<\/span><\/p>\n

As with other comments submitted to the USTR ahead of yesterday\u2019s and today\u2019s hearing on the \u201cProposed Action Pursuant to the Section 301 Investigation of China\u2019s Targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance\u201d, Goudie pointed out that the change in port fees \u2013 that on the face of it seems like it would punish Chinese ship builders \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe $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,\u201d Goudie wrote to the USTR on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will greatly impact most countries in The Caribbean, especially The Bahamas, which imports the vast majority of its goods from Florida.<\/p>\n

The Bahamas will be forced to find alternate suppliers<\/h3>\n

\u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s plan for the Caribbean region, if they follow through with the plan to increase fees imposed on Chinese-built ships.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s proposed fee.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Source: The Nassau Guardian<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This will greatly impact most countries in The Caribbean, especially The Bahamas, which imports the vast majority of its goods from Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":82566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nChamber official tells US trade body its $1M port fee 'makes no sense' - 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