Bloomberg Podcasts
@bloombergpodcasts·503K subscribers·32.4K videos
US to Ease Ship Rule in Bid to Tame Spiraling Fuel Prices
Posted
March 12, 2026
Views
2,933
Likes
37
Comments
12
Engagement
March 12, 2026
2,933
37
12
1.67%
Every word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
See what was published immediately before and after this episode.
6:55Now PlayingRockford Weitz, Professor of maritime studies at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law, said that the United States' move to ease a century-old law that requires US ships to move good - in this case primarily gas and diesel - between US ports stands to help 'a bit' at bringing prices gas prices. Weitz also gave insight into the current US anti-mine capabilities after the military retired the last four avenger class minesweeper ships in the region.
he Trump administration plans to waive a century-old maritime law that requires American ships be used to transport goods between US ports as it seeks to blunt surging oil and gasoline prices, according to people familiar with the matter.
The 30-day exemption, which is still being developed, is set to apply broadly to vessels moving oil, gasoline, diesel, liquefied natural gas and fertilizer among US ports, the people said. That would enable generally cheaper foreign tankers to move those goods — including Gulf Coast oil to refineries on the US East Coast and fuel from the region to more populous areas.
“In the interest of national defense, the White House is considering waiving the Jones Act for a limited period of time to ensure vital energy products and agricultural necessities are flowing freely to US ports,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “This action has not been finalized.”
The plan comes as President Donald Trump considers multiple options to stem the dramatic rise in crude and gasoline amid the war in Iran. On Wednesday, the administration announced it would release 172 million barrels of crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Overall, countries are coordinating to release 400 million barrels from their stockpiles.
US gasoline futures pared gains after the news. Waiving the Jones Act could save East Coast motorists roughly 10 cents a gallon, according to a 2022 JP Morgan Chase & Co. estimate.
--------
Watch Bloomberg Radio LIVE on YouTube
Weekdays 7am-6pm ET
Follow us on X
Subscribe to our Podcasts:
Bloomberg Daybreak
Bloomberg Surveillance
Bloomberg Intelligence
Balance of Power
Bloomberg Businessweek
Listen on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app:
Apple CarPlay
Android Auto
Visit our YouTube channels:
Bloomberg Podcasts
Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Originals
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.
