Consejeros Editorial Team
President Donald Trump has decided to extend the exemption from the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, known as the ‘Jones Act’, for a further 90 days, with the aim of ensuring that the country’s armed forces and key industries ‘maintain uninterrupted access to essential resources’.
This is the second extension of the exemption from the law, which stipulates that only US-flagged vessels may be used to transport goods between US ports, as part of Washington’s efforts to curb rising oil and fertiliser prices in the face of the crisis in the Middle East.
The White House has thus extended the suspension of the ‘Jones Act’ by almost three further months; the Act came into force on 18 March for an initial period of 60 days and was extended in April for a further 90 days, a period which was due to expire this Monday.
According to government spokesperson Taylor Rogers, the data shows that the exemption has led to a significant increase in domestic deliveries of essential products such as petrol, diesel and aviation fuel.
Prior to 18 March, the last time the United States granted an exemption from the ‘Jones Act’ was in October 2022 for the benefit of an oil tanker bound for Puerto Rico to deliver supplies in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.
In 2021, the Biden Administration temporarily relaxed the law for the Valero Energy Corp. refinery following a cyberattack on a major East Coast oil pipeline.
