Jones Act waiver faces 15 November lapse as shipowners press Trump

The emergency Jones Act waiver lapses on 15 November unless Trump extends it again. Coastal fuel trades would return to a smaller US-flag tanker fleet.

By Procupy News DeskPublished 5 Nov 2026, 1:08 PM IST4 min readSource: gCaptain

In 60 words

The American Maritime Partnership asked President Trump on 3 November to let the emergency Jones Act waiver expire on 15 November. The waiver, issued on 17 March after the Iran war disrupted energy markets, lets foreign-flag ships carry listed energy and fertiliser cargoes between US ports. It has been extended twice. A lapse returns those coastal tanker moves to a smaller US-flag fleet.

Key points

The American Maritime Partnership wrote to the White House on 3 November asking Trump to let the waiver lapse; CBP guidance requires waivered cargo to be loaded by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on 15 November¹.
The waiver covers listed energy and fertiliser commodities, including coal, not coastal cargo in general; the blanket version ran to more than 600 commodities^2, 3, 4.
The Maritime Executive counts the two extensions at 250 days, and says the oil lobby wants legal trigger waivers that switch on automatically in a supply crunch⁵.
AMP says the uncertainty has delayed more than $2.6 billion of vessel and shipyard investment and more than $700 million of dredging vessel investment¹.

The American Maritime Partnership asked President Donald Trump on 3 November to let the emergency Jones Act waiver expire on 15 November¹. The waiver has allowed foreign-flag ships into US coastal energy trades since March. Under current Customs and Border Protection guidance, waivered cargo must be loaded before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on 15 November¹.

The waiver was first issued on 17 March after the war with Iran disrupted energy markets. It has been extended twice, most recently in August¹. The Maritime Executive counts the extensions at 250 days⁵. A further extension can be announced at any time. The lobbying is aimed at the White House rather than Congress⁵.

What the waiver covers

The Jones Act requires cargo moving between US ports to travel on vessels that are US-built, US-owned and US-crewed^6, 3. The waiver sets that aside for a defined list of goods, not for coastal shipping in general.

Customs and Border Protection issued a preliminary notice, CSMS #68096516, on 17 March, with a link to the covered commodity list². Marine insurer Gard, summarising the notice for members, said the waiver applies only to specific commodities, certain energy and fertilizer products². White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the launch that the action would let oil, natural gas, fertilizer and coal flow freely to US ports³.

Between March and August the waiver was blanket, covering more than 600 commodities. Shipments were mainly commercial fuels and crude oil, not military-grade fuels, according to Jennifer Carpenter, president of AMP and of the American Waterways Operators⁴.

Because the exemption runs to listed commodities, not to services, general container and most dry-bulk moves between US ports stay reserved for US-flag ships. Coal is the dry-bulk cargo the White House named³.

What changes on 16 November

A lapse takes foreign-flag tankers out of the listed coastal energy trades. The domestic fleet was already stretched before the waiver. Vortexa said use of Jones Act tankers carrying clean and dirty petroleum products had reached its highest level in two years, after the Wilmington and Benicia refinery closures cut West Coast supply⁷. Vortexa put the extra tanker demand from the waiver at around 20 MR2 tankers⁷.

Traders already had a workaround before the waiver. They shipped gasoline blendstocks from the US Gulf to the Bahamas on foreign-flag vessels, blended there, then moved the cargo to the West Coast without breaching the Jones Act. Vortexa said that structure adds cost and time⁷.

On price, AMP says published analyses found no demonstrated fall in retail fuel prices from the waiver. It puts the maximum effect on gasoline below half a cent per gallon¹. The Maritime Executive said independent analyses suggest no discernible effect on the US consumer⁵. Analysts said at the launch that the impact on pump prices would likely be minimal³.

Vetting and compliance

The August extension changed how voyages are approved. Operators must file a vessel availability request before a voyage. That lets the Maritime Administration assess whether a qualified US-flag ship is available, and the Department of War then decides whether the movement qualifies⁸.

A review of Maritime Administration data published on 16 September counted 255 completed movements under the original waiver and its first extension⁸. Nine maritime labour organisations wrote to Democratic members of the House transportation committee on 27 October. They questioned whether the waiver met the legal test of addressing "an immediate adverse effect on military operations"⁸. They also said some operators filed generic justifications or missed the 10-day post-voyage reporting deadline⁸.

Representative Salud Carbajal is in line to chair the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommittee in January. He wrote to the Department of Homeland Security in mid-October about the non-disclosure of at least 25 waivered voyages⁵.

The Washington path

The American Petroleum Institute has applauded the long waiver period. Its policy platform calls for an easier emergency-waiver process and legal "triggers" for "prolonged regional fuel supply shortages, significant inventory drawdowns, refinery outages, transportation disruptions, or sustained price spikes"⁵.

AMP argues that a lapse would not stop the administration responding to real emergencies. It points to existing authority under 46 U.S.C. 501(b) for targeted waivers¹. Democrats take control of the House and Senate in January. That gives Carbajal a subcommittee agenda, but not the votes to change the law alone^5, 6.

If Trump extends again, the investment argument stays live. AMP says industry participants have reported more than $2.6 billion of delayed investment in new vessels and shipyard expansion. It also cites more than $700 million of planned dredging vessel investment deferred, and says the figures come from industry reports¹.

What this means for procurement teams

For anyone buying or moving fuel and petrochemicals inside the United States, this is a live capacity question rather than a lobbying story. The waiver covers listed energy and fertiliser commodities, so a coastal move in those goods can use foreign-flag tonnage today and may not after 15 November.

If it lapses, those cargoes go back to a US-flag tanker and barge fleet that Vortexa described as already at two years of peak utilisation before the waiver began. Expect tighter prompt availability and firmer coastal freight on Gulf and East Coast routes, and check how much of your delivered cost sits in that leg.

Practical steps now. Confirm whether your commodity is on the Customs and Border Protection list, and whether any 15 November loading already booked is compliant. Ask carriers and brokers for US-flag alternatives and for the Bahamas blend-and-reload routing Vortexa described, priced door to door. Put a cabotage-compliance warranty and a change-in-law clause into coastal charters and freight contracts, with a clear position on who absorbs a rate move if the rule changes. Diarise the decision date and keep a backup carrier.

A further extension cuts the other way. AMP says owners and lenders have deferred vessel and shipyard spending until domestic cargo demand is predictable, so watch US-flag newbuild orders and charter rates for signals on 2027 capacity.

Sources

1.gCaptain, Maritime Industry Urges Trump to Let Jones Act Waiver Expire November 15, 4 November 2026. Accessed 5 November 2026.
2.hellenicshippingnews.com, Temporary waiver of the U.S. Jones Act: What to know. Accessed 5 November 2026.
3.hellenicshippingnews.com, Trump waives Jones Act for 60 days to ease fuel and fertilizer supply. Accessed 5 November 2026.
4.MarineLink, America’s Maritime Future is Worth More Than a Penny at the Pump, 3 November 2026. Accessed 5 November 2026.
5.The Maritime Executive, Lobbying Over Jones Act Waiver Heats Up As Renewal Approaches, 5 November 2026. Accessed 5 November 2026.
6.gCaptain, Democratic Sweep Puts Trump's Maritime Agenda in Question, 4 November 2026. Accessed 5 November 2026.
7.hellenicshippingnews.com, Jones Act Waiver to have a Limited Impact on Demand. Accessed 5 November 2026.
8.gCaptain, Maritime Unions Sound Alarm Over Jones Act Waiver Compliance, Foreign Crews and National Security, 29 October 2026. Accessed 5 November 2026.

How this story was made: the Procupy News Desk researched and wrote it with AI tools, working only from the sources listed above. Automated checks confirmed that every number and quote appears in those sources, and a separate AI fact-check compared the story with them before publication. Read our editorial policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.