French shipping giant CMA CGM has announced a global fleet restructuring plan to sidestep newly introduced U.S. port fees targeting vessels built in China, set to take effect in October.

According to CFO Ramon Fernandez, the U.S. aims to reduce reliance on Chinese shipbuilding and strengthen its domestic maritime industry by imposing the highest-tier port charges on China-built vessels operated by Chinese companies. This move poses increased operational costs for international carriers.

Fernandez stated that less than half of CMA CGM’s fleet was built in China, giving the company operational flexibility to reroute and adjust capacity to avoid these additional charges. He confirmed that a detailed restructuring strategy is in place to maintain efficiency while minimizing costs.

While the U.S. softened the original fee policy after industry backlash, CMA CGM is still proactively preparing to mitigate its impact. The company recently gained U.S. praise for its $20 billion investment plan, but Fernandez clarified that this doesn’t alter CMA CGM’s response to evolving trade policies.

In Q1, the group saw a 4.2% year-over-year increase in shipping volume, largely due to a pre-tariff freight surge in early April. However, trade between China and the U.S. has since slowed, with nearly half of May's scheduled transpacific sailings canceled. A partial tariff rollback agreement has triggered a demand rebound this week, but Fernandez remains cautious about full-year volume growth, citing ongoing U.S.-China trade uncertainty.