US President Donald Trump has extended by 90 days a waiver permitting foreign-flagged vessels to carry oil and other commodities between domestic ports, while implementing new restrictions following objections from shipbuilders and congressional allies who argued the policy threatened the US maritime sector, the White House announced.
The extension, finalized on Monday, arrives amid ongoing tensions with Iran disrupting global crude flows and elevating fuel costs, intensifying pressure on the administration to mitigate transport bottlenecks and prevent further increases in gasoline and other energy prices.
The 90-day extension ensures the US military and strategic industries maintain uninterrupted access to critical resources, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers stated on Monday.
“Data shows the waiver has driven a significant uptick in domestic deliveries of essential products such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel,” Rogers noted in a social media post.
Under the revised terms, the administration has tightened oversight of the program, mandating individual voyage-by-voyage approvals instead of blanket exemptions for foreign-flagged ships under the Jones Act, according to a White House official.
The Jones Act requires cargo transported between US ports to be carried on ships constructed in the US, owned by US entities and operated by American crews; the waiver seeks to reduce shipping constraints and stabilize gas prices by enhancing transport flexibility.
The waiver was due to expire on August 16 without the extension. This marks the longest suspension of the Jones Act in its over century-long history.
