The government of Barbados is taking decisive steps to shield consumers from the impact of rising freight charges resulting from new U.S. trade policies targeting Chinese-built ships.
The proposed U.S. tariffs, introduced under the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) Section 301 investigation, aim to counter China’s dominance in global shipbuilding and maritime logistics. If implemented, these measures could impose fees of up to $1.5 million per port call on Chinese-built vessels docking at U.S. ports. While intended to support American shipbuilders, industry leaders have warned that these costs may ultimately be passed on to businesses and consumers worldwide.
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In response, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has reaffirmed that Barbados will not allow these increased costs to burden consumers through higher duties or taxes. Speaking ahead of her bilateral meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, she announced that the government will freeze freight values at December 2019 levels for customs valuation purposes. This measure, first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, is designed to prevent inflationary pressures on essential goods.
“We are not going to allow these proposed increases in freight costs to distort duty calculations and push up the cost of living. Just as we did during COVID, we are acting pre-emptively to prevent unnecessary hardship,” Mottley stated.
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