On Thursday, American merchant mariners protested outside Marathon Petroleum's refinery in Garyville, Louisiana. They were voicing their concerns about a Chinese-flagged tanker preparing for another domestic journey under an emergency waiver of the Jones Act issued during the Trump administration.
Members of the Seafarers International Union (SIU) gathered to oppose the Jin Zhou Wan, a tanker owned by a China COSCO Shipping Corporation subsidiary. They argue that the waiver allows foreign vessels to do jobs that should go to U.S.-flagged ships and American crews.
This protest comes as the ship is expected to pick up asphalt in Louisiana for another journey along the coast. According to SIU, this marks at least the third domestic trip the vessel has made under the waiver.
The Trump administration invoked this emergency waiver in March, citing national defense concerns due to global energy market disruptions related to the conflict with Iran and threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This waiver temporarily allows certain foreign-flagged vessels to transport petroleum products and other energy cargo between U.S. ports, which would typically be against the Jones Act rules.
“Mariners in Louisiana shouldn't have to watch from the docks while a Chinese state-owned company takes over jobs that should go to American vessels,” said Chris Westbrook, SIU vice president for the Gulf Coast. “The Jones Act creates good jobs, boosts our nation's maritime readiness, and ensures we have the merchant marine when it's needed. It’s time to end this waiver and bring these jobs back to American workers.”
The Jin Zhou Wan is operated by COSCO Shipping Asphalt Hainan, part of the state-run China COSCO Shipping Corporation. This company has appeared on U.S. lists identifying Chinese military businesses, although COSCO has disputed some of these claims.
The protest highlights the increasing pressure on the administration to end the emergency waiver, especially after Washington and Tehran reached an understanding in June that reopened the Strait of Hormuz and alleviated the immediate supply issues that justified the waiver.
Waiver Remains in Effect
Records from MARAD show that the administration continues to approve domestic voyages involving crude oil, refined petroleum products, jet fuel, naphtha, and asphalt under the waiver.
Recent MARAD data confirms two previous domestic trips by the Jin Zhou Wan—from Harvey, Louisiana, to New Haven, Connecticut, and from Paulsboro, New Jersey, to Baltimore, Maryland. The shipment from Garyville would make it at least the vessel's third journey under this program.
Initially, the administration issued the waiver for 60 days, then extended it for another 90 days. Various labor unions, U.S.-flagged operators, shipping industry groups, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers have urged President Trump to allow the waiver to expire.
According to SIU, recent studies by Navigistics Consulting and Reuters found that the waiver did not significantly boost domestic fuel supplies or lower gasoline prices.
The union also emphasized the economic importance of the Jones Act, noting that it supports around 650,000 U.S. jobs, including over 70,000 in Louisiana, while contributing more than $18 billion annually to the state's economy.
Louisiana's congressional delegation has increasingly opposed the extension of the waiver. Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Rep. Clay Higgins, and Rep. Julia Letlow, a U.S. Senate candidate, recently joined many House Republicans in urging the administration to let the waiver expire.
The ongoing use of the waiver has sparked a significant debate in maritime policy this year, with supporters arguing that the emergency authority is now being used for regular commercial shipments rather than for addressing a genuine national security crisis.