On March 17, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a limited waiver of 46 U.S. C. § 55102 (the "Jones Act") pursuant to 46 U.S.C. § 501(a), at the request of the Department of War. The approved waiver covers a 60-day period that expires at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Sunday, May 17, 2026. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requests that any member of the trade community who intends to conduct transportation of commodities listed in the attachment on a foreign-flag vessel, authorized by and within the parameters of the March 17, 2026, waiver, notify CBP at jonesact@cbp.dhs.gov with the following information of any such transportation:
Vessel name (including IMO number and flag)
Commodity and relevant Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Code
Carrier
Ports and dates of departure and arrival (include CBP port code)
Per 19 U.S.C. § 1434(a)(2), and as implemented in 19 C.F.R. Part 4, any foreign vessel arriving from a domestic port must file a formal entry (of the vessel), regardless of the cargo carried. As such, foreign-flagged vessels transporting cargo pursuant to this waiver remain subject to vessel entrance and clearance requirements and should use the Vessel Entrance and Clearance System (VECS) in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). Per 19 C.F.R. § 4.3a, violations of the arrival or entrance reporting requirements provided for 19 C.F.R. Part 4 may result in the master being liable for certain civil and criminal penalties, as provided under 19 U.S.C. 1436. Read More→
https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDHSCBP-40f1204?wgt_ref=USDHSCBP_WIDGET_2
