United States suspends Jones Act shipping restrictions for 60 days
→Coastal shippers must accept foreign-flagged vessels under a 60-day waiver
Change
United States has suspended Jones Act coastal-trade requirements for 60 days, making domestic movements of oil, natural gas, fertiliser and coal subject to a Presidential waiver that limits those shipments to vessels operating under the waiver.
Why it matters
The Jones Act’s US-build, US-ownership and US-crewing prerequisites will not apply to qualifying coastal shipments of oil, natural gas, fertiliser and coal during the 60-day Presidential waiver. Operations, voyage-planning and port intake must be scheduled within the waiver window because domestic use of foreign-flagged tonnage is governed solely by the Presidential exemption while it remains effective.
Implications
- — Procurement and logistics teams at United States refiners, fuel distributors and large agricultural suppliers must charter or secure foreign-flagged vessels for domestic coastal legs immediately — failure to secure capacity within the 60-day waiver window removes the lawful route to use foreign tonnage for those movements.
- — Compliance and legal teams at US shipping companies and port operators must amend contracts and shipment documentation now to record Presidential waiver coverage — consignments shipped without documented waiver authority before the waiver expires will not be eligible to rely on the exemption after the 60-day window.
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Source
View on Al Jazeera