Jones Act Waiver Sparks Protest Over Chinese Tanker

SIU Members Protest Chinese Tanker’s U.S. Coastwise Calls

On July 9, a group of American mariners gathered at a refinery pier in Garyville, Louisiana, to protest the arrival of a Chinese-owned tanker that had been moving domestic U.S. cargo along the coast. According to a report by The Maritime Executive, the vessel in question, the Jin Zhou Wan (IMO 9802580), is owned by China COSCO and had already called at Boston, Portland, Philadelphia and Baltimore before arriving in Garyville with a shipment of U.S.-produced asphalt.

Under normal circumstances, this pattern of port calls would violate the Jones Act, the U.S. law that reserves domestic waterborne trade for vessels that are U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed. But a White House waiver, issued after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz and pushed global oil prices sharply higher, has temporarily suspended those crewing and flagging requirements through mid-August. The asphalt cargo carried by the Jin Zhou Wan is not itself a fuel product, but it still falls within the scope of the broad waiver.

Union Pushes Back Against Waiver’s Reach

Members of the Seafarers International Union (SIU) turned out at the pier to voice their opposition. Chris Westbrook, SIU vice president for the Gulf Coast, argued that Louisiana mariners should not be sidelined while a Chinese state-owned carrier performs work traditionally reserved for American vessels. He framed the Jones Act as a source of stable maritime jobs and a pillar of national maritime readiness.

The union’s objection centers less on the nationality of the ship’s owner — Chinese interests control roughly a fifth of the world’s merchant fleet, and COSCO is the largest shipping company globally — and more on the fact that a foreign-crewed vessel is now legally permitted to carry cargo between U.S. ports, a role the Jones Act has long restricted to domestic tonnage and labor.

Political Pressure to End the Waiver Early

The waiver was originally granted for 60 days as an emergency response to the spike in energy prices triggered by the Hormuz closure. The administration’s stated goal was to help contain gasoline, diesel and jet fuel costs. Since then, opposition has built inside Congress. According to the source report, the entire House Republican leadership — including Speaker Mike Johnson, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Transportation Committee Chairman Sam Graves, along with 48 additional lawmakers — has signed a petition urging the White House to let the waiver expire on schedule, August 16, rather than extend it.

Administration officials have so far spoken favorably about how the waiver has functioned, but have not indicated whether they intend to renew it once it lapses. Supporters of the Jones Act note that the original justification — elevated energy prices — has largely faded, while longstanding critics of the law continue to press for permanent changes.

What This Means for Owners and Managers

For U.S.-flag operators and their charterers, this episode is a reminder of how quickly cabotage protections can be suspended when a geopolitical shock disrupts energy logistics, and how uncertain the return to normal rules can be. Owners who depend on Jones Act-protected trades should watch the August 16 expiry date closely, since any extension — or lack of one — will directly affect fleet deployment, crewing decisions and freight rates in the domestic tanker and product trades. It also raises a broader operational question for technical managers and surveyors: as waiver policies open U.S. ports to unfamiliar foreign-flag tonnage on short notice, port state control attention, condition surveys and cargo inspections may need to intensify to ensure these vessels meet the same operational and safety expectations as the U.S.-flag ships they are temporarily displacing. Charterers moving cargo on waiver-eligible foreign tonnage would do well to commission independent condition and cargo surveys to confirm vessel suitability, given the compressed vetting timelines such waivers can create.

Whether the waiver is allowed to lapse in August or extended further will likely shape the debate over Jones Act reform for months to come, with implications reaching well beyond this single tanker call in Louisiana.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.