Shipping Waiver Prompts US Oil Flow From Texas to East Coast

Source: Bloomberg

April 23, 2026 at 12:19 PM EDT
Updated on April 23, 2026 at 3:32 PM EDT


Phillips 66 is shipping oil from Texas to an East Coast refiner, the first cargo of US crude on that route using a foreign vessel since President Donald Trump waived a 100-year-old maritime law.

The Bakken oil — a light-sweet grade from shale formations in North Dakota and Montana — was loaded in early April at a Phillips 66 terminal in Beaumont, Texas, onto the Malta-flagged Htm Warrior, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Kpler. It will be delivered to the Trainer refinery in Pennsylvania, owned by Delta Air Lines unit Monroe Energy.

The use of a foreign-flagged vessel to transport oil between US ports is only possible because of a 60-day waiver Trump signed March 18, effectively exempting commodities from the Jones Act. The 1920 law requires that ships carrying goods between US ports be American-built, -flagged, and -operated. The temporary waiver is aimed at boosting the supply of oil and fuels as the Iran war strains energy supplies.

The Trump administration plans to extend the shipping waiver in an announcement coming as soon as Friday. The current waiver is set to expire May 17. The extension could provide relief for US refiners as they begin booking waterborne deliveries for July.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-23/phillips-66-sending-us-oil-on-foreign-vessel-after-jones-waiver

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No paywall (gift)

I believe this is the same facility that I had posted about in another thread regarding Delta's jet fuel refinery - https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3651377

That referenced this, which is just outside of Philly - https://delco.today/2022/04/delta-trainer-refinery-jet-fuel/


Delta is benefitting from its refinery ownership in Trainer as oil and jet fuel disruptions worldwide trigger price rises