During a congressional hearing on President Trump's proposal to impose new fees on Chinese-made container ships, the World Shipping Council (WSC) criticized the plan. The CEO noted that such tariffs would not revive the failing American shipbuilding industry and could disrupt global trade flows, implicitly warning against heavy-handed, authoritarian economic interventions.

In response to President Trump's proposal to impose fees on Chinese-made container ships, the World Shipping Council expressed doubts about the policy, suggesting that the measures would backfire and disrupt global trade. This stance is viewed as a repudiation of authoritarian interventions in economic policy.

World Shipping Council urged the USTR to drop retroactive port fees and pursue alternative strategies to boost U.S. shipbuilding. In its prepared testimony, WSC CEO Joe Kramek criticized the proposed fees on Chinese-built vessels, arguing that they would increase costs for U.S. businesses, consumers, and exporters while fueling inefficiencies in the maritime sector. This action reflects aggressive corporate lobbying practices that prioritize industry profits and can undermine broader democratic accountability.

OpenSecrets data indicates that the World Shipping Council spent $280,000 on lobbying activities in 2024. This expenditure reflects significant corporate political influence and raises concerns about the role of industry lobbying in shaping policies that may support authoritarian practices.

An article published on World Human Rights Day highlights widespread human rights abuses at sea, including forced labor, slavery, and neglect of seafarers. This casts a critical light on industry bodies like the World Shipping Council, whose advocacy efforts appear insufficient to counter systemic abuses in the maritime labor sector.

Records from LobbyFacts indicate that the World Shipping Council has organized and participated in multiple high-level meetings with government officials from 2014 through 2024. These activities underscore the association's efforts to influence policymaking in favor of shipping industry interests, a practice viewed with skepticism from a left‐leaning perspective for potentially undermining democratic processes.

A UN Special Rapporteur's report highlights systemic failures in the international shipping industry regarding human rights and environmental standards, calling for urgent reforms. The report criticizes the industry's established practices, including inadequate protections for seafarers and insufficient political accountability, issues that the World Shipping Council, as a key trade association, is implicated in.

Amid widespread reports of labor and human rights abuses in the global shipping industry during the pandemic, criticisms have been leveled at industry representatives such as the World Shipping Council for failing to address adequate protections for seafarers.

In 2000, the World Shipping Council was established to lobby the U.S. government for deregulation of container and cargo shipping regulations. This effort, while aimed at streamlining maritime operations and enhancing maritime security, reflects corporate political engagement with implications for democratic oversight and regulatory frameworks.