A new Chinese port fee targeting US-flagged vessels has begun reverberating through the cruise industry, with at least one American luxury liner rerouting to avoid the multimillion-yuan charges, reports Caixin. The Riviera, a 1,250-passenger ship operated by Oceania Cruises under Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., has dropped Shanghai from its Asia itinerary after opting not to pay the new “special port fee,” sources told Caixin.
The vessel, which departed Seattle on Sept. 18 and was due to arrive in Shanghai on Oct. 15, was instead diverted to Busan, South Korea. Under the new Chinese rules, the Riviera would have faced charges of about RMB 11.67 million ($1.64 million) for docking in China.
The policy, announced Oct. 14 by China’s Ministry of Transport, requires ships linked to the United States to pay a special port fee starting immediately. The charge is RMB 400 per net ton, increasing annually to RMB 1,120 per ton by April 2028. Each vessel will be charged for a maximum of five voyages per year, with the fee levied only at its first Chinese port of call.