US extends and narrows Jones Act waiver for foreign vessels carrying energy and farm-linked cargoes

**Verified development.** On 10 August 2026, President Donald Trump extended for 90 days a waiver from Jones Act coastwise-trade restrictions for foreign vessels carrying specified cargoes between US ports. The extension takes effect on 17 August 2026, immediately after the previous extension expires. Associated Press reporting says the new measure is narrower than prior versions: it applies to energy cargoes and agriculture-related commodities, including fertilizers and soybean oil, rather than to an unrestricted range of domestic cargoes. It also says the Department of War will consult the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) in deciding which voyages qualify.

The Jones Act generally reserves the carriage of merchandise between US points to qualifying US-built, US-owned and US-crewed vessels. The waiver therefore creates a temporary route for eligible foreign-flag tonnage to perform otherwise restricted domestic movements. AP reported that the administration linked the action to maintaining access to critical resources amid continued energy-market disruption.

**Existing compliance baseline.** US Customs and Border Protection’s current published instructions for the preceding waiver require foreign-vessel operators to notify CBP of the vessel name, IMO number, flag, commodity and HS code, carrier, and load/discharge ports and dates. They also require vessel entrance and clearance through VECS/ACE, a paper CBP Form 1302 for domestic cargo, and prescribed wording identifying the shipment as moving under the 17 March 2026 waiver. Owners/operators must report a completed waiver voyage to MARAD within 10 days; MARAD is then required to publish the report within 48 hours.

Those CBP instructions were issued for the earlier waiver period ending 16 August. At the time of review, TWS did not locate a new official CBP or MARAD operational notice setting out the documentation, product list, reporting address, or approval workflow for the waiver beginning 17 August. Operators should therefore not assume that an approval, cargo classification, or filing process used under the prior waiver will automatically carry over.

**Why this matters.** Charterers, commodity traders and cargo owners may gain another 90 days of optional foreign-flag capacity for eligible US domestic energy and agricultural supply chains. But access is no longer simply a commercial-availability question: voyage eligibility appears subject to a consultation process involving the Department of War and MARAD. Before fixing a coastwise voyage, parties should make eligibility an express condition precedent, verify the commodity’s current status, allocate delay and rejection risk in the charter or service contract, and retain complete port, cargo and vessel records. Masters and operators should also prepare for continued US customs entry, clearance and post-voyage reporting obligations until updated agency instructions clarify the new regime.