American Petroleum First Act

Summary

Allows U.S. documentation for any vessel that transports crude oil or petroleum products, while barring vessels owned or flagged by, or crewed by nationals of, Russia or China from receiving that documentation. It amends existing coastwise endorsement eligibility to explicitly include vessels that transport crude oil and petroleum products, and creates a nationality/flagging exception for Russian and Chinese interests. The change affects how vessels moving oil can get U.S. certificates of documentation and coastwise endorsements, removes nationality/flagging eligibility for Russian and Chinese entities, and does not create new spending or programs.

• Permits issuance of U.S. documentation for any vessel transporting crude oil or petroleum products.
• Bars documentation for vessels owned or partly owned by Russian or Chinese nationals or their governments.
• Prohibits Russian-flagged or Chinese-flagged vessels from receiving the certificate of documentation for this purpose.
• Disallows documentation for vessels that have any crewmember who is a Russian or Chinese national.
• Explicitly adds "transports crude oil and petroleum products" as a qualifying clause for coastwise endorsement.
• Relies on existing documentation and endorsement processes—no new funding or programs are created.
• Imposes additional verification duties on agencies issuing documentation (ownership, flag, crew nationality checks).
• Affects domestic oil transport logistics and could influence vessel ownership, registration, and crewing practices.