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U.S.: The government is considering whether to retain the requirement to carry fuel on American ships
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
The U.S. Ministry of Transportation is considering whether a temporary exemption from the 1920 Jones Act is needed for the supply of fuel after a cyber attack on Colonial Pipeline. Under this law, goods between ports in the US may carry ships built in the country with an American crew.
As Reuter's agency reminds, in 2017, President Donald Trump's administration temporarily withdrew Jones Act restrictions to help deliver fuel and supplies to Puerto Rico haunted by a hurricane.
The maritime administration of the Ministry of Transport on Tuesday began an overview of available ships to make sure that they are available for transporting products within the Gulf of Mexico, as well as from there to the East Coast. He wants to determine whether they can meet the requirements of the Jones Act and whether temporary dismissal would be justified. The Department of Homeland Security decides that.
"The ship's brokers said that over the weekend many tankers (fulfilling Jones Act) were pre-booked for transporting fuel from the Gulf of Mexico to the East Coast to fill supply shortages after Colonial Pipeline closed its system on Friday. These ships are usually more expensive in charter than foreign-flagged ships due to limited availability," Reuters stated.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Transport announced a temporary exemption from the working hours limit in force in the provision of services covering the transport of fuels and other petroleum refining products to 17 states and the District of Colombia. On Tuesday, it added West Virginia to this list.
On the other hand, the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) examines how much these carriers can help transport fuel from inland ports and whether it is realistic to increase their capacity.
On Tuesday, energy minister Jennifer Granholm estimated that before Colonial Pipeline would fully resume operations it would take several days. As she added, the Federal Government calls on consumers to report any cases of artificial increases in motor fuel prices.
"We call on consumers to report any price lift to their state attorneys general," Granholm called for during a press conference at the White House.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, answering reporters' questions as to whether the increase in gas prices driven by the closure of Colonial Pipeline would, in the opinion of the administration, affect inflation forecasts, did not reveal great concern.
"Most economic analysts believe this will have a temporary, transitional impact," she stressed.
On Monday, the FBI confirmed that the responsibility for cyber attack rests with the DarkSide Group. CNN previously referred to her as a Russian criminal group.
Source: PAP
