Maersk, one of the world's largest shipping lines, has issued preliminary guidelines ahead of the U.S. government's plan to roll out new reciprocal tariffs starting April 2, 2025.
The affected industries include automotive, electronics, agriculture, and consumer products, raising concerns over potential cost increases and supply chain disruptions for businesses relying on imports from these regions.
"If you import from the impacted regions, these changes could affect costs, supply chain planning, and compliance requirements. Understanding these adjustments now will help you prepare for potential disruptions and cost increases," Maersk said in a March 28 customer update.
The tariffs are slated to apply to goods imported from countries and areas such as China, India, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, France, Canada, Italy, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore.
Maersk noted that each country will be assigned a tariff rate based on its trade practices, including existing tariffs, non-tariff barriers, taxes, currency policies, and labor standards. Although exact rates have not yet been disclosed, businesses are advised to monitor developments closely to assess the impact on their operations.
"The exact rates have not been fully disclosed, but they will play a key role in determining the duties imposed on imports from these countries. Businesses should monitor updates closely to understand how these tariffs will affect their specific goods," the Danish shipping line said.
Maersk noted that the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent
has not clarified whether tariff stacking — where multiple tariffs are applied to the same goods, significantly increasing the duty rate — will be part of the new policy, effectively increasing the duty rate would apply in these scenarios.
"If that ends up happening, this could significantly increase duty rates on certain imports by layering reciprocal tariffs on top of existing trade restrictions. It remains unclear how these tariffs will interact with current U.S. duties," Maersk's advisory added.
Estimated tariff rates
Maersk said that while final tariff rates are not yet confirmed, preliminary estimates based on current trade data suggest the following potential tariff rates:
• China: 3.1%
• India: 11.5%
• Germany & France: 2.8%–3%
• Mexico: 6%
• Brazil & South Korea: 7%–10%
• Japan & the UK: 2.5%
"These figures represent trade-weighted averages and may vary depending on specific trade policies," it added.
Maersk said these tariff policies are still being finalised, and updates from U.S Customs and other trade authorities may impact the final details. However, it encouraged companies to stay informed as final details are released and to review their logistics strategies to mitigate potential disruptions.
"Businesses are also being urged to evaluate strategies such as tariff classification reviews, trade agreement utilization, and alternative sourcing to manage potential cost increases."
The Danish shipping company noted that the advisory is for informational purposes only to provide companies with information that helps them plan their supply chains and does not constitute legal or regulatory advice.
On March 30, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that reciprocal tariffs would be applied to all nations rather than being limited to a smaller group of 10 to 15 countries with the largest trade imbalances, as White House economics adviser Kevin Hassett had earlier said.
The U.S. has already imposed tariffs on aluminum, steel, and autos and increased tariffs on all goods from China.
"You'd start with all countries," he told reporters aboard Air Force One, according to various reports. "Essentially all of the countries that we're talking about."
Trump views tariffs as a tool to shield the domestic economy from unfair international competition and as leverage to negotiate improved trade terms for the United States. However, concerns about a trade war further escalating are rattling markets and fueling fears of a U.S. recession.
