Associate Director, @CatoInstitute’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies #EndTheJonesAct cato.org/jonesact
Washington, DC
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The Jones Act makes domestic shipping so expensive that last year Hawaii purchased 100% of its light sweet crude from Libya (distance: ~10,500 nautical miles), Argentina (~7,300 nm), Nigeria (10,000 nm), and Algeria (~9,300 nm) instead of Houston (~6,300 nm).
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Many people recognize that the Jones Act is a very bad law that inflicts considerable harm on the US. So why is it so impervious to change? Let's take a deep dive, starting with an overview and then getting into the nitty-gritty of JA influence ops. (warning: *very* long 🧵)
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"Japan slaps tariffs on a wide range of American agricultural products — as much as 32% on oranges, 50% on beef, 40% on various cheeses and 58% on wine."
TPP would have cut tariffs on oranges to 0%. Many beef products to 0%. Many cheese tariffs to 0%. Wine to 0%.
In which Peter Navarro makes pretty clear that US tariffs on auto imports are coming... nyti.ms/2l19ZG5?smid=nytcore…
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Flexport CEO @typesfast: "I think you can very clearly say the Jones Act is a failure. It was designed to promote American shipbuilding, and we didn't make any containerships last year. We gotta try something else."
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No, it's still bad. The Jones Act-exempt U.S. Virgin Islands have vessels providing regular service from the mainland as well. The JA's main contribution to relief efforts in Hawaii is inflating the cost of transporting supplies.
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Absolute 🔥 from @DSFrancis1 at a Senate hearing last week, pointing out that the Jones Act would be considered economic warfare if imposed on the US by another country and is "protectionism for foreign competitors" paid for by Americans. This is 100% the correct framing.
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Farcical that the United States is now the world's top LNG exporter yet can't transport LNG to other parts of the country thanks to the Jones Act.
THE US BECOMES WORLD'S TOP LNG EXPORTER
🇺🇸🚢🎉
📈 The US exported a record 91 million tons of LNG in 2023, beating Australia and Qatar
👉 Shipments will keep rising in 2024 as new projects start
⚠️ The US only started exporting shale gas as LNG in 2016
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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Puerto Rico imports LNG from Spain due to the JA while the US mainland exports LNG to...Spain. Can't make this up.
Many have pointed out that Puerto Rico can't get US LNG to power Prepa because there are no Jones Act compliant LNG tankers. President Trump needs to kill the Jones Act pronto. PR imports LNG from Nigeria, Trinidad & Spain #muniland catalyst.independent.org/202… See page 18 for country of origin for PR LNG. It's not just PR but no US state can get US LNG due to the JA. energy.gov/sites/default/fil…
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How does one manage to write a piece largely centering around San Francisco's housing unaffordability and not use the words "zoning" or even "regulation"?
Cherry on top is the inclusion of this quote: “This is unregulated capitalism, unbridled capitalism, capitalism run amok."
Filthy rich and dominated by a tech monoculture, it’s gone from America’s great romantic city to "a train wreck."
How San Francisco broke America’s heart. wapo.st/2HNHhUu
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On the one hand, the Jones Act imposes significant economic costs. On the other hand, it has produced a wildly uncompetitive shipbuilding industry with minuscule output.
"Protected US Shipbuilding Continues to Sink" via @cpgrabow @CatoInstitute cato.org/blog/protected-us-s…
"In 2024, the United States—the world’s second-largest manufacturing country with a 17% share of world output —accounted for a mere 0.04% of global commercial shipbuilding" 😔
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"The [Jones Act] was conceived to give US shipbuilders a steady stream of orders without competing with foreign shipbuilders. The law completely backfired. Isolated from foreign competition, the US shipbuilding industry eventually lost its competitive edge."
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So here's the deal: if a foreign-flagged, Hong Kong-owned ship transports a US Navy warship, that's fine. But allowing allied-flagged tankers to transport LNG from the Gulf Coast to Puerto Rico would be a national security threat. #JonesActLogic
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U.S. shipyards collectively delivered a single oceangoing cargo ship last year (a relatively small feedermax containership) and won't deliver any this year or next. Meanwhile in South Korea: piped.video/shorts/oclEoZlUk…
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"The United States is at a serious disadvantage, as it lacks a major commercial shipbuilding industry and cannot produce at scale, despite the industrial base protection offered by the Jones Act."
The ICE Pact enables Canada, Finland, and the United States to build the shipbuilding capacity and the icebreakers they require, and eventually allows allies and partners to take advantage of this increased capacity.
Read the full analysis: cs.is/3AaRQ2D
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This "Ship of the Year" was the only large merchant ship delivered by a U.S. shipyard in 2023.
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The vast majority of domestic ocean shipping is controlled by four major companies.
Four.
These companies charge shipping rates far higher than those typically found internationally, hence their reliance on the Jones Act to keep out foreign competition.
The vast majority of global ocean shipping is controlled by nine major companies.
Nine.
During the pandemic, these carriers increased their prices as much as 1,000% — the bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 allows us to crack down on those excessive hikes.
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"But without the Jones Act the US wouldn't have any commercial shipbuilding."
Folks, at 0.04% of global output we're nearly there.
📢Just released!
UNCTAD Shipping #fleet data
in collaboration with @Clarksons_CRSL
👉stats.unctad.org/Maritime
#MaritimeStatistics
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"There’s this thing called the Jones Act which is just like one of the most harmful regulations that there is on the books that pretty much makes it so that there’s almost no shipping in the US."
Colin Grabow
Exclusive: Donald Trump is set to name Kevin Hassett to lead the National Economic Council trib.al/6NJ72XZ
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Fundamentally, the Jones Act's persistence is the product of diffused costs and concentrated benefits. The relatively few Americans who reap its benefits are highly incentivized to maintain it, while most don't know it exists. This Hill veteran nicely summed it up:
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Alaska kid writes an irate letter to the editor, 1983: "Well, all I can say is it seems to me like we ought to get rid of this stupid thing called the Jones Act because I'm sick and tired of blowing all my allowance in these high prices around here." 😭😭
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A representative of North Florida Shipping testified at last week's Section 301 hearing that it was $30-$38 million cheaper to build a small ship in Holland than in the US. The issue with US shipyards isn't that they can't compete with China—it's that they can't compete with anyone.
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Suspect most people aren't aware of just how long the Jones Act and its antecedents have been hurting the United States. So here's a 🧵 of people pointing out the failures and lunacy of US cabotage laws from at least a century ago.
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"You want to help the oil industry and build up a shipping business? Get rid of the ridiculous Jones Act."
.@jimcramer on Tuesday questioned the Trump administration’s regulatory choices and offered some of his own ideas.
cnbc.com/2025/04/15/jim-cram…
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The kind of content I love to see. Obvious solution is to end the tariffs and the Jones Act.
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The United States is one of the world's top exporters of LNG, but Puerto Rico can't buy it due to the total lack of Jones Act-compliant LNG tankers to transport it. So it is instead being imported from Oman.
Crazy. The Jones Act prevents foreign-flagged ships from carrying cargo between the contiguous U.S. and certain non-contiguous parts of the U.S., such as Puerto Rico.
So...
LNG from Oman was just shipped to Puerto Rico by Spanish utility company Naturgy.
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1. Foreign vessels can and do operate on US inland waterways.
2. If anyone believes that Jones Act vessels don't collide with bridges and other infrastructure, they are mistaken (here is an example of a bridge in Massie's state of KY being struck: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS_Roc…).
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Thanks to the Jones Act, China can access US LNG while New England cannot. National security!
The trade war threatens to decouple the world’s top LNG buyer and seller ⚠️
🇨🇳 China hasn’t imported LNG from the US for 40 days, the longest gap in almost two years
💰 Traders are diverting shipments elsewhere to avoid Beijing’s tariffs on the fuel (and make better profits)
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The Jones Act makes 🇺🇸 energy so expensive that despite the US mainland's proximity and the fact US energy is exported throughout Latin America, Puerto Rico instead overwhelmingly turns to foreign sources (often from much more distant countries): cato.org/blog/jones-act-forc…
The Jones Act increases energy costs in Puerto Rico and makes the island’s grid less reliable. reason.com/2024/10/29/if-kam…
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I can think of at least one policy proposal that would do more for Puerto Rico's economy than some of the items featured here.
I am committed to helping build an opportunity economy for Puerto Ricans.
My plan will ensure Puerto Rico is economically secure, creating opportunities for the island’s next generation to prosper.
ALT Graphic with blue and red text on a white background that reads: Kamala Harris will build an Opportunity Economy for Puerto Rico Launch a federal task force to rebuild and revitalize Puerto Rico’s economic strength, determined by the Puerto Rican people Rebuild and modernize Puerto Rico’s energy grid to ensure reliable access to electricity Expand Puerto Rican families’ access to clean energy Provide access to housing that Puerto Rican families and workers can afford Support Puerto Ricans’ equal access to key federal benefit programs Advance health service delivery in Puerto Rico Invest in Puerto Rican colleges and universities to train doctors, teachers, and more Build the industries of the future in Puerto Rico, like biosciences and manufacturing Provide loans that are fully forgivable up to $20k for Puerto Rican entrepreneurs and others to start and grow a business Enhance access to banking and lending to help Puerto Ricans build wealth Expand bilingual education and literacy
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A reminder that many Hawaii cruises stop in Ensenada, Mexico, to avoid violating the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886, which forbids foreign-flagged (or even just foreign-built) cruise ships from transporting passengers between US ports on purely domestic itineraries.
Mexico's congress votes to charge cruise ship passengers $42 per head for port calls apnews.com/article/mexico-cr…
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"Instead, [the Jones Act] has revealed the sector’s vulnerabilities. Faced with steep construction costs and limited capacity, many shipping companies have opted to rely on aging fleets rather than commission new builds, creating a vicious cycle of decline."
Reviving American Shipyards: South Korea’s Gains and Risks.
A U.S.-Korea #shipbuilding alliance could reshape maritime power, but what does it mean for South Korea’s industrial base?
breezeinflow.com/reviving-am…
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"Experts believe the Jones Act, which was originally created to protect the U.S. shipping industry, increases the costs of foreign-imported liquified natural gas (LNG) by 10% to 30%, O’Keefe said."
The Jones Act has long been criticized for the significant costs it imposes on the U.S. economy, but recently came to the forefront as one of the factors driving up New England’s energy costs.
ow.ly/lrKG50UWO0c
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Here's a sampling of the constituency:
americanwaterways.com/issues…
shipbuildersusa.org/critical…
mebaunion.org/jones-act/
lcaships.com/programs/commer…
offshoremarine.org/page/Jone…
aflcio.org/tags/jones-act
And here is why it sticks around:
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Biggest shipyard on the West Coast and not a single commercial ship under construction.
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It's that time for year-end lists, so here are my top 10 most ridiculous vessels operating under U.S. coastwise laws (e.g. Jones Act, Foreign Dredge Act, Passenger Vessel Services Act). 🧵:
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.@profwolff: "There's no free market in shipping to Puerto Rico...There's only a controlled market. Controlled by whom? The [U.S.] Congress. To the benefit of whom? [U.S. carriers] who get the chance to price above the world market and rip off the poorest part of the country."
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Maybe my favorite part of this @paulkrugman interview is that he both says he's 80% sure monopolies are a major problem and also hails the USPS—a monopolist on the provision of standard mail, first class mail, and mailboxes—for fostering innovation: vox.com/2017/12/14/16756872/…
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Per World Bank, Brazil's trade weighted avg tariff is 7.26%. Singapore: 0%. Yet both hit with 10% reciprocal tariffs.
As I wrote in @USATODAY: "Whatever reciprocal tariffs the Trump administration announces this week will be shoddy guesstimates detached from economic reality"
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Anyone who thinks the US maritime industry's deep and long-standing shortcomings stem from a lack of tariffs, protectionism, and subsidies will love this bill. Everyone else should see it for what it is: a special interest wish list devoid of needed reforms.
NEW: Today I introduced legislation to revitalize America’s ailing maritime industry. It’s one of the biggest problems no one is talking about — and fixing it will create jobs, lower prices, and strengthen our national security. Let me tell you how. 🚢 👇
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Not The Onion: "[US] farmers, however, complain that their Mexican rivals enjoy unfair advantages, including...a year-round growing season"
An explosion in Mexican berry farming is fueling thorny discord in Nafta talks on.wsj.com/2yP4AXK
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One former congressman explained it to me like this (paraphrasing): "I was elected at 30 years old. After taking office, this group of union reps came to talk to me about a law called the Jones Act, which I was unfamiliar with. They explained that it just means you have to use American-flagged vessels, with American crews, and built in the United States when transporting goods domestically. ‘We think it's a pretty great law and would appreciate your support for it. By the way, here's a check for your campaign.’" They also endorsed him — getting the backing of organized labor was not typical for a Republican — and helped get the vote out on election day. Pretty attractive!
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The Jones Act is a major factor behind this country's lack of coastal shipping. Here's the other big reason 👇
US Terminal Handling Charges (which recoup port costs for loading/unloading shipping containers) are:
- 2x higher than EU
- 5x higher than MX
- 6-7x higher than Asia
"the THC cost gap pushes international shippers to unload in Mexican ports and then truck cargo into the US"
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In 2023, the United States was the world's #3 exporter of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), but Puerto Rico can't access it due to a complete lack of Jones Act-compliant LPG tankers. So instead, Puerto Rico is importing LPG from Chilean Patagonia.
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ICYMI from last week: Puerto Rico importing LNG from Spain at the same time Spain is importing LNG from the U.S. has to be about the most Jones Act thing ever.
The tanker RIBERA DUERO KNUTSEN is currently transporting LNG from Spain (no doubt transshipped as Spain doesn't produce natgas) to Puerto Rico vesselfinder.com/vessels/det…
Puerto Rico cannot source LNG from the U.S. mainland as there are no JA-compliant ships to transport it.
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Defining the global middle class as an income of at least $10 per person per day in 2005 dollars, or around $19,000 a year in 2018 dollars for a family of four: "In 1990, only 23% of the world’s population fit that category. Today 45% do." nytimes.com/2018/03/23/upsho…
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The next level of Jones Act insanity will be reached when this LNG tanker is added to the US-flagged fleet, but transporting 🇺🇸 LNG to the Northeast and Puerto Rico remains impossible due to the vessel being foreign-built (in NATO ally France). Because national security.
📣 Is a US flagged #LNG carrier in the works?👀 @CrowleyMaritime buys secondhand steam turbine LNG carrier for Americas business. 🇺🇸 #USLNG #bunkering tradewindsnews.com/gas/crowl…
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"Another significant hurdle for offshore wind development in the U.S. involves a century-old law known as the Jones Act."
Why US offshore wind power is struggling – the good, the bad and the opportunity theconversation.com/why-us-o…
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Earth Day is a good time to remind folks that the Jones Act inflates the cost of water transport, pushing cargo to more polluting modes:
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"[Trump] believes in economic self-sufficiency."
Outside of some limited cases related to national security, the pursuit of economic self-sufficiency is foolish self-impoverishment. This is why sanctions and embargos are wielded as punishments.
It is this braindead liberalism pretending to conservatism that saw the US go from the world's manufacturing superpower to one in which the PRC makes nearly twice as much as we do. And where, if the small island of Taiwan fell to an invasion, we'd be hurled into a Great Depression.
This is not just about a "few union workers," this is about a globalized economic system in which the United States absorbs much of the producer surplus of the world. A system whose brittle supply chains exposed our economic vulnerability after COVID. And speaking of those auto workers this guy has such contempt for, it was the auto workers of the 1940s who allowed the United States to go from a peacetime economy to the best mass producer of aircraft the world had ever seen.
By this logic, it should be illegal for the United States to control our borders, because that makes it impossible for employers to buy and sell labor at the price they choose.
President Trump believes in borders. He believes in economic self-sufficiency. He believes America should be a great nation.
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Very confused as to why a California refinery closure would lead the state to import fuel from across the Pacific instead of the Gulf Coast.
Oh, right: chevron.com/newsroom/2024/q1…
With this, California will now likely only meet current demand with additional imports from the few Asia refiners who can make an on-spec CARB barrel of gasoline… at a higher cost and long transit time. In addition, its neighbors, esp NV and AZ will really be hit.
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Meanwhile, if you oppose the JA, those same resources will be turned against you. And the payoff is usually just the knowledge that you're doing the right thing. Almost all the $$/votes are on the other side of the issue. The path of least resistance is to support the JA.
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Someone really ought to dig into this Jones Act thing. Sounds bad.
Opinion: 'Sometimes the Jones Act makes domestic transportation flatly impossible' trib.al/BxbUk6Y
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"In 2022, U.S. shipyards produced just five large commercial vessels. Across the Pacific, China built nearly 1,800..."
I'm begging people to learn the difference between an orderbook and the number of ships delivered.
Check out my new op-ed in @dcexaminer outlining how the Golden Age of transportation starts with making shipbuilding great again.
President Trump is committed to restoring America’s maritime dominance and @USDOT is proud to lead the way.
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Organization that supports the 1920 Jones Act and 1906 Foreign Dredge Act is complaining about "outdated and burdensome regulations."
President Trump’s recent executive orders mark a critical inflection point for U.S. infrastructure policy— especially for the dredging and marine construction sectors, which have long been strangled by outdated and burdensome regulations.
maritime-executive.com/edito…
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But exactly who are these concentrated beneficiaries of JA largesse? Let's go through them. First up is @AMPmaritime, which is the leading pro-JA advocacy org and an umbrella group for various pro-JA interests. Defending the JA is literally the only reason this group exists.
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"We're strengthening American shipbuilding"
Deliveries of oceangoing cargo ships from U.S. shipyards (future years based on current orderbooks):
2020: 1
2021: 0
2022: 1
2023: 1
2024: 0
2025: 0
2026: 1
2027: 2
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Assume she costs 5x more than other Barbies, is mostly made with imported parts, and that supplies of this doll are very, very limited.
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1,000 cargos, and — thanks to the Jones Act — not a single one went to Puerto Rico or New England, leading to absurd outcomes like this:
Our Corpus Christi Liquefaction (CCL) facility in Texas achieved a milestone this week, producing and exporting its 1,000th cargo of LNG since operations began in 2018. Cheniere has produced and exported over 3,570 cargoes to 40 markets around the world since 2016.
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US commercial shipbuilding output in 2023 was almost exactly tied with Iran, accounting for 0.1% of global production. Those arguing the US — the world's largest, most innovative, and technologically advanced economy — is in a better shipbuilding place because of the Jones Act than would otherwise be the case have a difficult case to make.
The countries that dominance global shipbuilding, 2023:
1.🇨🇳 China: 32,859,800
2.🇰🇷 South Korea: 18,317,800
3.🇯🇵 Japan: 9,965,200
4.🇵🇭 Philippines: 805,950
5.🇮🇹 Italy: 402,165
6.🇫🇷 France: 326,700
7.🇩🇪 Germany: 289,650
8.🇫🇮 Finland: 261,650
9.🇹🇼 Taiwan: 187,550
10.🇷🇺 Russia: 177,550
11.🇳🇱 Netherlands: 90,600
12.🇹🇷 Turkey: 79,300
13.🇮🇩 Indonesia: 76,000
14.🇺🇸 USA: 64,800
15.🇮🇷 Iran: 64,750
World: 64,774,700
Source: UN Trade & Development
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Smells like Jones Act: New York importing gasoline from Nigeria (distance: 4,870 nautical miles) instead of Houston (1,900 nm).
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One of the most effective anti-Jones Act tweets I've ever come across.
Top 15 Shipbuilding Countries in the World by Tonnage:
15. 🇮🇳 0.12%
14. 🇳🇱 0.19%
13. 🇹🇷 0.22%
12. 🇷🇺 0.22%
11. 🇳🇴 0.29%
10. 🇫🇷 0.29%
9. 🇹🇼 0.30%
8. 🇫🇮 0.36%
7. 🇻🇳 0.61%
6. 🇩🇪 0.63%
5. 🇮🇹 0.82%
4. 🇵🇭 1.06%
3. 🇯🇵 17.6%
2. 🇰🇷 32.4%
1. 🇨🇳 44.2%
United States 0.05%
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The tugboat pictured here will turn 70 years old next year.
The Jones Act is critical to the development of American offshore wind in Massachusetts and elsewhere, explains AWO President & CEO Jennifer Carpenter in a new op-ed for the @bostonherald ow.ly/qiYF50PT6yL
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I don't always get quoted by @nytimes, but when I do I make sure to bash the Jones Act:
nytimes.com/live/2022/03/01/…
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"[Puerto Rico] is also subject to the Jones Act...There are no LNG tankers that are compliant with that law, effectively shutting out the island from the US domestic natural gas supply and forcing it to pay for more expensive foreign gas, mainly from Trinidad and Tobago."
Puerto Rico's power grid is decrepit and unreliable. Frustrated residents are looking for alternatives—and finding a host of cash-hungry solar salesmen sherwood.news/world/puerto-r…
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Interesting, and in large part a story about the disincentivizing effects towards work presented by the welfare state.
Finland will hand out cash to 2,000 jobless people. The idea, universal basic income, is gaining traction worldwide. nyti.ms/2hNxqzX
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Trump wants to buy foreign-built ships for the US military (USCG): "I want to buy icebreakers. You know, [Finland is] very good at icebreakers...They make them really good, and they know what they're doing. And so we're negotiating with them for about 15 different icebreakers."
U.S. in Talks to Buy 15 Icebreakers from Finland, Trump Says at NATO Summit
gcaptain.com/u-s-in-talks-to…
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Unless these are paired with offsetting budget cuts, and I don't think they are, isn't this in large part funded by borrowing money from China to pay for a nonsensical trade war that mainly targets...China?
White House readies plan for $12 billion in emergency aid to farmers caught in Trump’s escalating trade war wapo.st/2LB80Y7
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The US has extensive rivers/inland waterways, the Great Lakes, a plentiful coastline home to major metropolises, and non-contiguous states/territories inaccessible by truck/rail. Yet we've made water transport so unattractive that it comprises less than 10% of freight ton-miles.
The “antimonopoly” people are also strangely silent about the most anti-competitive mode of freight transportation: domestic waterborne. While freight rail today competes after being freed 44 years ago from the most harmful economic regulation, domestic waterborne has collapsed.
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A lack of Jones Act-compliant tankers means 🇺🇸 LNG can be sent to China but not New England or Puerto Rico. Some may think the solution is building and subsidizing the operation of U.S. LNG tankers. But that’s a road the country has been down before, and it didn’t end well. 🧵
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Spain has been one of the largest recipients of U.S. LNG exports. Because of the Jones Act, Puerto Rico can't buy U.S. LNG (no JA-compliant tankers) and must buy from abroad. So last year six LNG tankers arrived in Puerto Rico from...Spain.
This is so stupid.
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After visiting @PhillyShipyard, which has built more commercial ships than any other US shipyard over the last 25 years, South Korean politician Lee An-joo described it as "reminiscent of a shipyard from the 1980s."
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.@TheStalwart: "No one thinks [the Jones Act is] invigorating at all to the US shipbuilding industry, which is almost nonexistent...There’s this big loss and you just have this protectionist husk of an industry..."
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"global leader in shipbuilding"
The Mobile Chamber announced that it named Master Boat Builders, Inc. its 2024 Innovator of the Year for its groundbreaking advancements in the shipbuilding industry. Read more. buff.ly/3OIH7jT
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"[T]he United States must consider turning to allies for help....Buying foreign warships has been considered a threat to domestic shipbuilding, but the issue can no longer be treated as a matter of jobs creation or trade balances."
The United States must turn to its allies for help as it rebuilds its shipbuilding capacity to compete with China. bit.ly/3TUj1FC
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Of course, extending Jones Act requirements would be a big de facto tax on US exports. Costs aside, this is also impossible. The mariners, ships, and capacity to build sufficient ships in this timeframe don't exist. The proposal is totally divorced from reality.
The craziest part of the original proposal is a requirement that within 7 years 15% of U.S. exports must travel on a ship that's made in America and crewed by Americans. 5/
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Even amidst profound polarization, one thing that unites people across the political spectrum is shared opposition to the JA (particularly its application to Puerto Rico).
It's not even 9am, but @AnaKasparian going after the Jones Act is probably the best thing today. 😍
Cc: @scottlincicome @cpgrabow
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U.S.-built ships are extraordinarily expensive, with prices 4-5x higher than those found abroad for certain vessel types. But why? Here's a quick 🧵 on the reasons sometimes offered and the reality behind them.
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Without question, the Jones Act be waived for the transport of aid to Puerto Rico. The island should have maximum flexibility in obtaining relief supplies from the U.S. mainland. This is a no-brainer.
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There's a reason Ross would prefer to talk about soup cans:
"'We have seven Eiffel Towers' worth of steel [in our new plant],' [said] Freeport LNG chief Michael Smith... 'This thing would cost a few hundred million dollars more if we had to pay 25% more than what we did.'"
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.@jimcramer highlights the Jones Act's role in encouraging the importation of Russian oil rather than shipping it from Texas.
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First question. The influence wielded by this small industry continues to amaze.
In her first question of the @commercedems hearing, @SenatorCantwell asks @USDOT Secretary nominee Sean Duffy if he is a supporter of the Jones Act.
His answer: Yes.
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If that's the JA's purpose then it has utterly failed: infogram.com/1pe2xex137m1nzc…
The largest US builder of commercial ships over the last 25 years, @phillyshipyard, has never built a warship. ut biggest warship builders (Newport News, Bath Iron Works, Electric Boat, Huntington Ingalls Pascagoula) haven't built commercial ships in decades.
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Communism collapsed, markets spread, trade liberalized and then in a total coincidence this happened. nitter.app/maxcroser/status/65078…
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US shipyard that has never delivered an icebreaker and has experienced a five-year delay (at least) on its current icebreaker project proclaims itself the "icebreaker capital of the world":
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In-freakin'-credible: Jones Act tanker rates found to be *an order of magnitude* higher (~$90,000/day vs ~$9,000/day) than those of internationally-flagged tankers operating in the Caribbean.
Freight rates for the Jones Act fleet of US-built and crewed vessels that transport oil and other liquids between US ports have responded little to US government shakeups in 2025.
#oott argusmedia.com/en/news-and-i…
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This Jones Act tanker is based on a South Korean design and is largely built from 🇰🇷 components. As the photo shows, the vessel is also maintained in 🇰🇷.
Yet JA supporters argue that allowing the purchase of vessels directly from South Korea would threaten national security. 🤔
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Jones Act supporter: "We need the law to protect the country's national security."
Sane person: "Against what kind of threats?"
JA supporter: "This." 👇
The Port of Oswego (NY) needs a tugboat to attract more business, but it can't access the 40 tugs already on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario, just a few hrs away.
You'll never guess why.
(Ok, fine, you'll probably guess.)
oswegocountynewsnow.com oswegocountynewsnow.com/news…
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