Vancouver businesses wary of proposed fees of up to $1.5 million on Chinese ships docking at U.S. portsSubscriber Exclusive

Columbia River Pilots vice president said many Chinese ships come down the river to the Port of Vancouver

By Sarah Wolf, Columbian staff reporter

Published: March 26, 2025, 2:28pm

Workers walk aboard a ship named Federal Kudos as it stops at the Port of Vancouver to pick up wheat from United Grain Corporation on Dec. 19. While the Federal Kudos isn’t a Chinese ship, many of the ships carrying grain down the Columbia are. These ships could be facing million-dollar fees as the Trump administration aims to bolster domestic ship manufacturing. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian files)

Vancouver business leaders fear a federal attempt to bolster American shipbuilding will blow back on them.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office proposed earlier this year placing fees of up to $1.5 million on Chinese-built ships entering American ports.

Augusto Bassanini, president and CEO of Vancouver-based United Grain Corporation, said he’s concerned about the proposal’s unintended consequences on U.S.

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