Chevron uses Jones Act waiver for US East Coast-to-Florida cargo

In the second-known use of the Trump administration’s post-hurricane Jones Act waiver, Chevron has fixed a UK-flagged oil tanker to ship a refined products cargo from the US East Coast to Florida.

The UK-flagged Stena Impression was fixed for a US East Coast-to-Port Canaveral route by Chevron at a lump sum of $275,000 with a September 16-18 laycan, the shipowner said.

The MR tanker was seen Friday near Bayonne, New Jersey, according to cFlow, Platts trade flow software.

Chevron was not immediately available for comment.

The Jones Act bans foreign-flagged vessels from making deliveries between two US ports. The Trump administration waived the shipping law for certain states through September 22 to prevent supply disruptions caused by Hurricane Irma.

Florida has no refineries and depends on barge or tanker shipments rather than pipelines for 97% of its refined products.

Phillips 66 confirmed Thursday that it was using the Jones Act waiver for a gasoline cargo on the Marshall Islands-flagged Nave Jupiter. A spokesman for the refiner declined to give further details of the shipment.

The Nave Jupiter, an MR tanker, was seen Friday on the Lower Mississippi River outside New Orleans, according to cFlow. It is likely heading to Phillips 66’s Alliance Refinery in Belle Chasse, Louisiana.