EIA: waterborne shipments from the US Gulf Coast increased in April and May

The US Department of Homeland Security issued a limited waiver of the Jones Act, on 17 March and has renewed it since. The Jones Act requires goods or passengers moved in US coastal waters between US ports to be carried on US flagged and owned ships that are constructed in the US and crewed by US citizens.

Total petroleum shipments to the West Coast increased in April to more than double the previous record, and they remained elevated in May. From 2021 through February 2026 – the last full month before the Jones Act waiver – renewable diesel was the only product that moved by tanker and barge from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast in most months, making up 96% of waterborne shipments along that route. In April, the addition of substantial shipments of gasoline blending components, finished motor gasoline, jet fuel, and crude oil brought total shipments to 190 000 bpd, up from less than 30 000 bpd in January and February.

Shipments from the US Gulf Coast to the East Coast also increased to a record 1.2 million bpd in April, 11% higher than the pre-waiver record. Gulf Coast to East Coast shipments make up most of the waterborne inter-PADD transfers in the US because Florida relies on waterborne receipts from Gulf Coast refining centres for much of its transportation fuel supply. Shipments of gasoline blending components and distillate fuel reached record highs of 620 000 bpd and 220 000 bpd, respectively, in April. Total waterborne movements declined 12% in May, but crude oil shipments from the Gulf Coast to the East Coast increased to a record 180 000 bpd.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/refining/18082026/eia-waterborne-shipments-from-the-us-gulf-coast-increased-in-april-and-may/