Jones Act waiver boosts fuel shipments to east, west coasts

September 20, 2026 By LP Gas 0 Comments

The Trump administration extended the Jones Act waiver for the second time, focusing more on energy-related cargoes. (Photo: Art Wager/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images)

The Jones Act is making an impact on crude oil and petroleum product movements from the Gulf Coast to other U.S. ports, and the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has the supporting data.

Waterborne shipments of crude oil and petroleum products from the U.S. Gulf Coast (PADD 3) to the West Coast (PADD 5) more than quadrupled year-on-year in April and May following a Trump administration waiver that permitted a broader group of ships to travel between U.S. ports, the EIA reports. Shipments from the U.S. Gulf Coast to the East Coast (PADD 1) also increased.

The Jones Act requires goods or passengers moved in U.S. coastal waters between U.S. ports to be carried on U.S.-flagged-and-owned ships that are constructed in the United States and crewed by U.S. citizens. The waiver was first issued in March and has since been renewed, with new limitations, through Nov. 15.

Total petroleum shipments to the West Coast increased in April to more than double the previous record, and they remained elevated in May. From 2021 through February 2026, renewable diesel was the only product that moved by tanker and barge from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast in most months. In April, the addition of substantial shipments of gasoline blending components, finished motor gasoline, jet fuel and crude oil brought total shipments to 190,000 barrels per day (bpd), up from less than 30,000 bpd in January and February, according to the EIA.

Shipments from the U.S. Gulf Coast to the East Coast also increased to a record 1.2 million bpd in April, 11 percent higher than the pre-waiver record. Gulf Coast to East Coast shipments make up most of the waterborne inter-PADD transfers because Florida relies on waterborne receipts from Gulf Coast refining centers for much of its transportation fuel supply, the EIA notes. Shipments of gasoline blending components and distillate fuel reached record highs of 620,000 bpd and 220,000 bpd, respectively, in April. Total waterborne movements declined 12 percent in May, but crude oil shipments from the Gulf Coast to the East Coast increased to a record 180,000 bpd.

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