Crowley Maritime, an American shipping company, recently announced that it raised the U.S. flag on a 31-year-old French-built LNG carrier to comply with the Jones Act—a 100-year-old law—finally allowing for U.S. LNG to be shipped from the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico through a loophole in the protectionist law.
A Major Problem With Minor Relief
Over 100 years ago, Congress passed the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, better known as the Jones Act, requiring all goods transported between U.S. ports to be carried on ships that are built in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, crewed by Americans, and flagged under the United States. While support for the Jones Act was built on maintaining a strong U.S. maritime industry and protecting national security, it has failed to live up to these promises.
