Trump Eyes Waving Jones Act on U.S. Shipping Amid Iran War


   
Barani Krishnan
DTN Refined Fuels Market Reporter

   SECAUCUS, NJ (DTN) - U.S. President Donald Trump is considering suspending 
the Jones Act for U.S. shipping to allow international tankers to transport 
energy and agricultural products between U.S. ports if necessary, amid a 
squeeze in vessel availability caused by the Iran war, media reports said 
Friday (3/13).

   "We'll take a look, we'll take a look at everything, and it's all going to 
work out," Trump was quoted saying in a radio interview.

   The Jones Act is the bedrock of U.S. maritime policy, mandating that goods 
shipped between American ports be carried on vessels that are U.S.-built, 
owned, and crewed. It essentially acts as a protectionist barrier designed to 
ensure a robust domestic merchant marine fleet for both economic stability and 
national security. The act was established on June 5, 1920, in the wake of the 
World War 1.
The U.S.-Israel war on Iran and the effective closure of the Persian Gulf's 
Strait of Hormuz has sent maritime charter rates soaring and idled hundreds of 
vessels -- including U.S. registered ones -- that left huge gaps in the global 
energy supply chain.




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