DHS implements second Jones Act waiver for petroleum shipments

DHS implements second Jones Act waiver for petroleum shipments    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it has waived coastwise laws restricting the use of foreign-flag vessels from transporting petroleum and refined petroleum products from one U.S. port to another until Oct. 24.
   The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, provides that only vessels built and owned by U.S. citizens and flagged in the United States can carry merchandise between U.S. ports.
   President Bush had directed DHS to temporarily waive the restrictions for petroleum shipments following Hurricane Rita as a means to expedite supply. The administration had previously granted a Jones Act waiver on Sept. 1, a week after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and neighboring ports. That waiver expired Sept. 19.