"The Jones Act, formally known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, was passed by Congress to rebuild the United States's shipping industry after German U-boats devastated the country's merchant fleet during World War I. At its core, the act requires that any ship transporting goods or passengers between US ports must be built in the US, owned by US citizens and crewed primarily by Americans."
"This action will allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to US ports for sixty days, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X. The move allows foreign-flagged vessels to transport goods between US ports for the next 60 days, a step taken to ease the movement of energy supplies across the country."
"The law allows for temporary waivers in the interest of national defense, according to the US Maritime Administration, typically granted by the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Defense. Critics, however, argue that restricting foreign competition has driven up shipping costs."
The Jones Act, enacted in 1920 following World War I, requires all vessels transporting goods between US ports to be US-built, US-owned, and crewed primarily by Americans. This law effectively prohibits foreign-flagged vessels from domestic maritime trade. President Trump has temporarily waived this century-old law for 60 days to facilitate the movement of vital resources including oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal across US ports. The waiver aims to reduce shipping costs amid volatile oil markets and disrupted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. While shipping companies, labor unions, and national security advocates support the Jones Act, critics argue it artificially inflates shipping costs by restricting foreign competition.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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