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US ports see ship-to-shore crane outlays rise on higher tariffs

By Michael Angell

Container ports around the US say they have little choice but to accept significant increases in the cost of vital equipment under Trump administration import tariffs.

Total Terminals International at the Port of Long Beach, for example, placed its latest ship-to-shore( STS) crane order with Japan-based Paceco, avoiding the current 30 % tariff on Chinese goods in favor of a 15 % duty on equipment from Japan, while Port Freeport chose to eat the 30 % tariff charge now to avoid even higher duties on Chinese STS that could come into force later this year.

In addition, Total Terminals’ two new STS cranes, expected to enter service in 2027,“ will include key American-made components supplied by US companies,” Paceco said in a statement.

The manufacturer did not detail which parts of the cranes would be made in the US, but Troy Collard, Paceco’ s general manager of sales, said the inclusion of US components shows“ that there are reliable alternatives that both meet the needs of US ports and support broader national security and supply chain resilience goals.” Total Terminals, the largest container facility at Long Beach, is operated by MSC’ s Terminal Investment Limited( TiL).

Paceco, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Mitsui E & S, was named by the Biden administration as one of the beneficiaries from approximately $ 20 billion in grants made available under the 2021 Infrastructure Act that aimed to foster domestic manufacturing of STS cranes. The grants were in response to concerns over Chinese manufacturer ZPMC’ s dominance of the crane market.

“ There are reliable alternatives that both meet the needs of US ports and support broader national security.”

The Trump administration has not outlined further direct incentives for domestic crane manufacturers, but the US Trade Representative( USTR) has proposed a 100 %

Port Freeport( pictured) paid $ 7.5 million in tariffs for two STS manufactured by China’ s ZPMC. Port Freeport

26 Journal of Commerce | November 3, 2025 www. joc. com