French shipping giant CMA CGM said it has made adjustments to its fleet ahead of the US Trade Representative (USTR)'s move to impose charges on ships built in China, which is set to take effect on Oct 14.

The USTR had claimed China's dominance in shipbuilding industry based on the results of a Section 301 investigation and said it would impose a surcharge on Chinese-built and owned ships that call at US ports. surcharge will be imposed starting Oct 14, with a six-month grace period previously set, and will be implemented in three phases.

"Within the 80-day grace period following the April 17 announcement by the USTR, CMA CGM took the necessary measures to implement a complete and adaptable contingency plan" the company said in a statement. "Thanks to the adjustments to our fleet and operations, which are currently underway, we expect to maintain all planned services to US ports while minimizing impact of the upcoming surcharge by the USTR by Oct 14."

As a result of these adjustments, CMA CGM said it is "not considering imposing a surcharge related to the USTR at this time for cargo moving to the US.

CMA CGM is part of the Ocean Alliance along with China'sco Shipping Lines, Taiwan's Evergreen Marine Corp and Hong Kong-headquartered Orient Overseas Container Line.

Cosco Shipping Lines and its Hong Kong- subsidiary OOCL are expected to be the two carriers that will be most affected by the US port charges [COSCO, OOCL to take $2.1bn? HSBC warns carriers to actively respond to new US port rules, charges]. Cosco Shipping Lines and OOCL could take a big hit in 2026 according to a report by HSBC Global Research earlier this week, which estimates the impact based on the current deployment of Trans-Pacific and Trans-Atlantic fleets to the US