US port officials want giant cranes off Trump's tariff list

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US ports could be set to hit by more problems from the China-US trade spat. While those on the west coast are already suffering volumes declines from falling demand, it now appears the cost of procuring their equipment could rise by as much as 25% if, as Transport Topics reports, the US government decides to include ship-to-shore container handling cranes in a new round of duty increases. Chinese company ZPMC dominates the sector and terminals needing newly built equipment – such as in the myriad ports in the US investing to handle larger vessels – there is simply nowhere else to buy them.