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The Caribbean region and the United States have come to an agreement regarding tariffs on Chinese-built ships (file photo)
In a significant development for Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean maritime industry, the United States has announced an exemption of the Caribbean region from a set of proposed tariffs targeting Chinese-built vessels.
This decision, unveiled on Thursday, comes as a relief to regional shipping lines and exporters who were facing potential multi-million-dollar fines under the Section 301 case launched in 2023.
The proposed tariffs included fines of up to $1.5 million for every Chinese-built ship entering U.S. ports and penalties ranging from $500,000 to $1 million for vessels built or operated outside the U.S.
These tariffs posed a serious threat to a region where over half of the shipping fleets rely on Chinese-built vessels.
Darwin Telemaque, CEO of the Antigua & Barbuda Port Authority, tells Antigua.news that the exemption is a crucial victory for our region.
“The Caribbean region and U.S. territories within the Caribbean have been spared from these fees, which is vital for maintaining our trade and economic stability”, he says.
The Caribbean’s economy is predominantly reliant on maritime trade, making this decision particularly impactful.
Major regional shipping lines, including Tropical Shipping, Seaboard Marine, CMA CGM, and King Ocean, would have struggled under the weight of these financial burdens, especially given the limited capacity of the vessels primarily affected.
While the U.S. Trade Representative has yet to finalize the structure and value of the tariffs—set to take effect later this year—it has been confirmed that they will not be applied on a per-unit basis. A final determination regarding the fee structure is expected in May.
Ok our diplomats/ambassadors are working. I think trump realizes the disaster that’s before him
These tariffs were always unfair to smaller economies. The Caribbean relies on global trade penalizing us for ships we didn’t build makes no sense.
Let’s hope this opens the door for more maritime policy dialogue between the U.S. and Caribbean nations.
This exemption shows our government is doing the diplomatic work behind the scenes. Hats off to the leadership
Let’s not pretend this was a local government win. The U.S. acted in their own interest, stop spinning it like a political trophy.
food4thought @ Please, do you think small island like Antigua can tell Trump what to do?? Trump realized his wrong, the economic damage, and he make the change.
Antigua government can’t give the people of Antigua constant running water, proper healthcare, good infrastructure—especially the roads and drainage, then how can get Trump to pull back tariffs hike on The Caribbean islands.
Yes well done to them.
I thought Lennox Weston said that we were buying our cargo vessel to help reduce the cost of living in Antigua and Barbuda. If we had gotten our own cargo vessel, we wouldn’t have to deal with Trump’s crazy tariffs.
This is the best news we could possibly get. I am especially happy because I don’t think Antiguans have what it takes to weather the financial storm this would bring about
This is proof that our ABLP led administration is working diligently and strategically for us. Wow this is great news and we can now breathe a little easier.
God Bless the Gaston Browne led administration.
I bet as a UPP supporter Darwin must be a big mad as this moves the goal post further away from a UPP win at the polls.
I couldn’t imagine Pringle or Goofy Richard going to meet with the US Secretary of State and walking away with this level of agreement.
This ABLP led administration is doing a superb job.
Thank you PM Gaston Browne & your team of Leaders.