Tariffs on European countries opposed to US annexation of Greenland will have adverse effects on the four largest mainline operators as the levies will further harm transatlantic trade, according to container shipping consultancy Linerlytica.
MSC, Maersk Line, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd are the largest transatlantic players, with total deployed capacity of 420,000 TEU, and the tariffs will badly hit them. Trump announced on 17 January that eight European countries would face tariffs starting at 10% on 1 February, and these would go up to 25% on 1 June.
The tariffs target Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Finland if a deal is not reached on Greenland, which is a Danish autonomous territory.
While Trump has claimed that the US needs to control Greenland for national security, detractors believe that the US is after Greenland’s natural minerals, as well as to gain a foothold in the Arctic. Melting ice caps in the Arctic Ocean are raising hopes that shipping through the Northern Sea Route could become more frequent, as opposed to the Russian summer months. China and South Korea are beginning to exploit Arctic shipping, and it is believed that Trump wants to do the same, by controlling Greenland.
Linerlytica noted that US container imports from North Europe grew by 5.9% in 2025, but growth was already slowing in December 2025 and could be further hit by the new tariffs. Drewry’s latest World Container Index shows that on 15 January, Rotterdam-New York rates averaged US$1,652 per 40-foot container, a 42% drop from a year ago.
Linerlytica said that Trump’s Greenland tariffs would threaten the fragile transatlantic balance. The consultancy said: “The four main European carriers control 71% of the total capacity deployed on the North Atlantic route and would be the most badly affected by the potential fallout.”
Vespucci Maritime CEO Lars Jensen said in a LinkedIn post that given Trump’s Greenland ambitions, it is very likely that the EU-US trade deal, reached last year and caps reciprocal tariffs on EU exports to the US at 15% and sets the tariff on some specific US products into EU at 0%, may be broken. Jensen noted that Maersk and CMA CGM both have US-flagged ships and could face difficulties if tariffs are imposed.
Unlike Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs, Jensen said the US President’s move against the European countries is no trade war, but political pressure to eliminate obstacles to his intention to appropriate Greenland. Jensen said: “This approach clearly shows all countries globally that there is limited value in making trade deals with the US, as such deals are prone to be quickly broken by the US should Mr Trump change his mind.” (PL)
