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SITCSection 7
U.S. imports of fishing vessels, factory ships, and fishery processing vessels (SITC 79324) totaled $278K in April 2026, traded with 4 countries.
Fishing Vessels, Factory Ships, and Fishery Processing Vessels imports of $278K in April 2026 ran 98% above the year-to-date monthly average of $140K.
Last updated: April 2026 dataVessels purpose-built for catching, processing, or preserving fishery products occupy a specialized niche in maritime trade, combining the characteristics of working vessels with onboard food-processing facilities subject to FDA and NOAA oversight for products destined for US consumption. Factory ships—which process and freeze catch at sea—are particularly capital-intensive assets whose import is governed by both maritime law and, when the vessel carries product into US ports, USDA FSIS or FDA inspection requirements for the processed seafood aboard. The Jones Act's coastwise trade restrictions apply equally to fishing vessels, limiting foreign-built vessels from operating in US domestic fisheries without a federal permit.
AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.
A foreign-built, foreign-flagged factory ship may land processed seafood at a US port of entry, but the product is subject to FDA inspection (for fish and fishery products) or USDA FSIS inspection (for certain processed seafood products meeting the definition of 'fish of the order Siluriformes'). The vessel itself is not permitted to engage in US coastwise fishing under the Magnuson-Stevens Act and Jones Act without specific authorization.
A factory ship is equipped with onboard processing and preservation facilities—such as filleting lines, freezing tunnels, and canning equipment—that allow it to process catch at sea rather than returning raw fish to port. Standard fishing vessels lack these facilities and are classified based on their catching gear and hull design. The presence of integrated processing equipment is the key classification criterion separating factory ships from conventional fishing vessels.
| Country | Imports | Exports | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| CANADA | $250K | $14K | -$236K |
| CHINA | $28K | -- | -$28K |
| EL SALVADOR | -- | $8K | +$8K |
| GHANA | -- | $6K | +$6K |
| ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES | -- | -- | -- |
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Monthly import values over time