Jones Act Waiver Expiry: US Port Call Work to Plan

The emergency waiver of the Jones Act is due to expire on 15 November, and the American Maritime Partnership has urged President Donald Trump to let it lapse, according to gCaptain (November 2026). For suppliers, the question is not the politics but which vessels on your berth list stop calling.

What the waiver changed and what expires

The Jones Act (the US law requiring cargo moving between US ports to travel on US-built, US-flagged, US-crewed ships) was waived on an emergency basis, and the exemption has now run for nearly eight months, per gCaptain. AMP warns that the exemptions have allowed foreign-flag vessels into domestic trades.

Congressional scrutiny has grown alongside it. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) has demanded answers on whether foreign vessels in domestic US trades are complying with federal requirements, gCaptain reported in October 2026. Nine maritime labour organisations have also raised compliance, immigration and national security questions about the prolonged waiver (gCaptain, October 2026).

With Democrats back in control of the House and Senate, shipping stakeholders have a new set of legislators to petition, The Maritime Executive reported on 5 November 2026. A renewal, a lapse or a phased exit are all still live.

Who feels it first at the berth

The waiver's practical effect is a set of vessel calls that exist only because foreign-flag tonnage could move domestic cargo. When it lapses, those calls revert to US-flag operators with their own established supplier relationships.

• Coastal and short-sea trades on the US East, Gulf and West coasts, where domestic cargo moves between US ports.
• Northeast and Great Lakes feeder work, which already carries seasonal uncertainty; the US Coast Guard is exploring commercial icebreaking vessels to keep Northeast ports and waterways open this winter, gCaptain reports (November 2026).
• Port agents handling husbandry for foreign-flag operators who may not return to the same berth next quarter.

The commercial risk is concentration. A chandler that has built a quarter of its fresh-water, provisions and PDA (port disbursement account, the statement of costs an agent advances for a port call) volume on waiver-era calls needs a replacement pipeline before 15 November, not after.

What the rest of the market is doing

US port work is not slowing elsewhere. A design basis agreement has been reached with the US Coast Guard for a proposed 150-passenger hydrogen ferry in New York, The Maritime Executive reports (November 2026), a sign that new domestic passenger tonnage is moving through approval.

Hull and propeller efficiency is also being formalised. Propspeed has joined RightShip's Zero Harm Innovation Partners programme, gCaptain reports (November 2026), and BIMCO adopted its Energy Saving Device Retrofit Addendum in autumn 2026 to set how retrofit cost, time and fuel savings are shared on time charter, according to Hellenic Shipping News (November 2026).

Dry bulk flows are diverging too: Tubarão has recorded stronger China-bound iron ore shipments while Ponta da Madeira has declined, Hellenic Shipping News reports (November 2026). For a US agent, that means the Capesize calls that replace lost coastal work come from a different owner set with a different buying pattern.

A 15 November checklist for suppliers

1. Split your berth list by trade. Tag every call as domestic US, import/export or transit. Only the first group is exposed to the waiver decision.
2. Identify the DOC holder and technical manager for each exposed vessel, not just the operator. The DOC holder (the company holding the Document of Compliance under which the ship is managed) is who approves supplier lists.
3. Pre-qualify replacement calls. Use expected arrivals at your ports to find Capesize, tanker and ferry tonnage with ETAs inside the next 30 days.
4. Re-price before you re-quote. Waiver-era volumes may have justified discounts that a smaller domestic base will not.
5. Keep the relationship, not the assumption. Foreign-flag operators leaving domestic trades may still call your port on international voyages.

For background on how a port call is costed and who signs it off, see port disbursement account costs and approvals, and for the buying roles behind a repair or supply decision, who owns what at a port call.

Frequently asked

Does the Jones Act waiver affect international vessels calling US ports?

No. The waiver concerns cargo moving between US ports. Foreign-flag ships on international voyages calling at US ports are unaffected by the waiver itself, though they face the same compliance scrutiny raised by Congress and unions.

What should a chandler do before 15 November?

Map which of your current calls exist because of the waiver, then build a replacement pipeline from vessels with confirmed ETAs at your ports. Waiting for the political decision leaves no time to re-quote.

How VesselReach helps

VesselReach turns vessel movements at your chosen ports into a qualified sales list, so a change in trade patterns does not leave your pipeline empty.

• Vessel intelligence: VesselReach shows vessels near your ports plus scheduled and expected arrivals, which means you can see replacement tonnage before it berths.
• AI company targeting and decision-maker discovery: VesselReach identifies the right company behind each vessel and the operations, procurement and fleet roles, which means you reach the DOC holder rather than a generic inbox.
• Multichannel outreach and follow-ups: staged email, WhatsApp and phone contact with automated follow-ups, which means a re-quote reaches the buyer while the ETA still matters.

Book a VesselReach demo to see the arrivals list for your own ports, then test it on the 10-day free trial offered after the meeting.