Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, owner of the world’s largest fleet of liquefied natural gas carriers, said it is hard to buy Chinese vessels for the time being as the U.S. ramps up scrutiny of the Asian country’s shipbuilding industry.

“It is difficult to purchase Chinese vessels under the current circumstances, because of the port entry fees” that the U.S. is proposing for China-built ships calling at its ports, a spokesperson for the Japanese firm said.

Earlier on Friday, the Nikkei reported Mitsui O.S.K. was planning to shift new orders from China to South Korea. But the plans have not yet been finalized, the spokesperson said.

The Japanese firm is aiming to reduce risks, according to remarks made by President and Chief Executive Officer Takeshi Hashimoto during an interview.

“We will wait and see about new business with the Chinese,” Hashimoto said in the report, which added that Mitsui O.S.K. will not cancel any existing contracts with Chinese shipyards.

Washington has issued a flurry of measures since President Donald Trump took office aimed at curbing China’s maritime dominance and reviving its own flagging shipbuilding industry. The moves have shaken up the global shipping market, prompting ship owners to rethink where they want their vessels to be built in the future.

South Korean shipbuilders have sensed an opportunity. Last week, major shipbuilders HD Hyundai and Hanwha Ocean offered to help the U.S. improve its shipbuilding capacity and restore its maritime dominance. South Korean builders have an 18% share of ships under construction worldwide in deadweight tons terms, while Japanese firms have 11%, according to data from Clarksons Research.

Mitsui O.S.K. owns a fleet of 97 LNG vessels, according to a 2024 corporate presentation. It also maintains the world’s second-largest merchant fleet at 873 vessels.

Chinese shipyards make up two-thirds of the global orderbook. In January, state-run China State Shipbuilding Corp. was added to a U.S. Department of Defense blacklist, which carries no specific penalties but discourages American firms from doing business with it. Other Chinese shipbuilders include privately owned New Times Shipbuilding and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding.