Sponsors (5)
Allows U.S. documentation and coastwise-endorsement consideration for vessels transporting crude oil and petroleum products, excluding vessels with Russian/Chinese ownership, flags, or crewmembers.
The bill opens domestic crude transport markets to more U.S.-documented vessels and strengthens energy supply-chain security, at the cost of added compliance burdens, risks of reduced available tonnage and higher shipping costs, and potential diplomatic fallout.
U.S.-flagged and U.S.-documented vessel owners (including small shipping firms) can obtain coastwise certificates/endorsements to carry crude oil and petroleum products, expanding market access and revenue while boosting domestic shipping capacity and supply-chain resilience for energy transport.
Excluding vessels owned, flagged, or crewed by Russian or Chinese nationals reduces the risk of foreign-state influence over domestic energy shipments and aligns transport rules with national-security priorities.
U.S. vessel owners (especially small operators) will face additional compliance costs and administrative burdens to verify crew nationality and ownership structures to qualify for certificates.
Ships with multinational crews or complex ownership may be disqualified despite serving U.S. interests, reducing available domestic tonnage and potentially raising shipping costs for crude transport (affecting consumers and taxpayers through higher energy transport costs).
Nationality-based exclusions could provoke diplomatic friction or reciprocal measures that harm U.S. shipping interests abroad and create broader geopolitical or trade risks.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To exempt certain vessels transporting crude oil and petroleum products from certain coastwise endorsement requirements, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 19, 2026 by Scott Perry · Last progress March 19, 2026
Allows certain foreign-built or foreign-crewed vessels to receive U.S. documentation and coastwise endorsement when transporting crude oil and petroleum products, except for vessels owned or flagged by Russian or Chinese interests or with any Russian or Chinese crewmembers. The change adds crude oil and petroleum product transport to the list of activities eligible for consideration for a coastwise endorsement under existing maritime law.