U.S. President Donald Trump granted a two-month waiver of the Jones Act, which requires shipments between U.S. ports to be carried only on U.S. vessels. With energy prices soaring after the U.S. and Israel's invasion of Iran, the move allows foreign ships to carry energy products on domestic U.S. routes.
On the 18th (local time), White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a press statement that this was "a step to ease short-term disruptions in the oil market as U.S. forces continue to achieve the objectives of the Grand Fury operation," and stated accordingly.
Enacted in 1920, the Jones Act requires that vessels sailing along the nation's coasts be built in the United States and that all cargo moving between domestic ports be carried only on U.S.-flagged ships with U.S. crews. Although there have been calls within the United States to amend the law, a short-term waiver is unusual because it was enacted to strengthen security.
According to Bloomberg News, items covered by the temporary waiver include coal, crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, fertilizer, products that use refined petroleum products as feedstock, and other energy derivatives.