The US Department of Homeland Security announced extension of the temporary Jones Act Waiver, as a result from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma that brought severe disruptions to the oil supply system in the country.
Initially signed on September 8, the waiver was planned to be in effect for seven days, but now it applies to covered merchandise laded on board a vessel through and including September 22, 2017.
The waiver was decided at the recommendation of the US Departments of Defense and Energy, to facilitate movement of refined petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, to be shipped from New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico.
The Jones Act prohibits the transportation of cargo between points in the U., either directly or via a foreign port, or for any part of the transportation, in any vessel other than a vessel that has a coastwise endorsement (e.g. a vessel that is built in and owned by persons who are citizens of the United States). The last Jones Act waiver was issued in December 2012, for petroleum products to be delivered for relief assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
