April 23 - A foreign-flagged oil tanker moved a shipment of U.S. crude between domestic ports under a temporary exemption to the Jones Act, according to ship tracking data and recent government action. The vessel, identified as the Malta-flagged HTM Warrior, loaded light, sweet Bakken crude from Phillips 66’s terminal in Beaumont, Texas in early April and offloaded that cargo at Monroe Energy’s Trainer refinery in Pennsylvania last week, data from Kpler and LSEG showed.
The movement took place after the Trump administration in March enacted a 60-day waiver of the 1920 Jones Act shipping statute. The waiver temporarily permits foreign-flagged ships to transport fuel, fertilizer and other goods between U.S. ports - an allowance that is ordinarily restricted to U.S.-built, -owned and -crewed vessels under the law.
Officials framed the exemption as an emergency measure intended to blunt price rises and supply disruptions tied to the Iran war. The waiver was described by the administration as a response to an acute situation that had contributed to a sharp increase in gasoline prices and interruptions in critical fertilizer deliveries to U.S. farmers.
Ship tracking information from Kpler and LSEG provides the operational detail behind the movement: the HTM Warrior, flying the Maltese flag, took on Bakken crude in Beaumont in early April and later discharged the load at Monroe Energy’s Trainer refinery in Pennsylvania during the prior week. The shipment is notable because such domestic moves by foreign-flagged tankers are rare absent a Jones Act exemption.
The administration is considering whether to extend the 60-day waiver, according to a report by Axios that cited U.S. officials. That consideration follows the initial emergency decision announced in March.
Context and implications
The temporary waiver allowed a one-time operational workaround to move crude and refined products between U.S. ports using a foreign-flagged vessel. While the waiver is time-limited, its use has immediate implications for refining logistics and agricultural supply chains that rely on fertilizer deliveries, as well as for fuel markets sensitive to supply constraints.