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tariff on Chinese-made cranes and components. Until that tariff becomes official, Chinese cranes are still subject to the 30 % reciprocal tariffs the Trump administration has slapped on China.

Total Terminals’ cranes, however, will be subject to the 15 % tariffs the Trump administration has issued for imports from Japan.

And Total Terminals is by no means the only US port grappling with the higher STS crane costs resulting from tariff actions.

Port Freeport took delivery of two super-Post-Panamax cranes manufactured by China’ s ZPMC— and paid the applicable $ 7.5 million import tariff— in late September, the port said in a statement to the Journal of Commerce. The port plans to install and commission the new cranes before the end of the calendar year.

Chinese cranes are subject to a 30 % import duty that is the result of an August trade truce between the US and China, with the Trump administration agreeing to that baseline tariff before the Nov. 10 deadline for a new trade deal.

Officials expect empty container fees at Vancouver and Montreal( pictured) to yield millions of dollars. EQRoy / Shutterstock. com

Montreal joins Vancouver in levying empty container surcharge

By Mark Szakonyi

The Port of Montreal has joined Vancouver in imposing a surcharge on outbound empty containers as ocean carriers challenge the justification for the fees with Canadian regulators.

The Montreal Port Authority( MPA) imposed a onetime C $ 10 fee per outbound empty TEU container starting Sept. 30 after Vancouver implemented a similar C $ 17.58 surcharge on May 1. The ports have defended the fees, arguing they’ ll speed up cargo flow at marine terminals and help pay for infrastructure improvements.

“ The surcharge will help us recover the costs of maintaining infrastructure that empties strain daily,” a spokesperson for the Montreal Port Authority told the Journal of Commerce.“ Ultimately, this initiative supports our broader goals of reducing congestion, maintaining fluidity and minimizing environmental impacts across the supply chain.”

The Shipping Federation of Canada, which represents shipowners and carriers, rejected the justification for the fees, saying they will disrupt operations and incentivize shippers to use other Canadian ports or even shift to the

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