Waterborne shipments of crude oil and petroleum products from the U.S. Gulf Coast to the West Coast more than quadrupled year over year in April and May 2026, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on August 17, 2026. The jump followed a limited Jones Act waiver issued by the Department of Homeland Security on March 17 and renewed since, which let a broader group of ships move cargo between U.S. ports.

Total petroleum shipments to the West Coast in April were more than double the previous record and remained elevated in May. Shipments reached 190,000 barrels per day in April, up from less than 30,000 barrels per day in January and February. From 2021 through February 2026, renewable diesel was the only product that moved by tanker and barge on this route in most months, making up 96 percent of waterborne volumes. April added substantial cargoes of gasoline blending components, finished motor gasoline, jet fuel and crude oil.

Gulf Coast shipments to the East Coast also climbed, to a record 1.2 million barrels per day in April, 11 percent above the previous record set before the waiver. Florida relies on waterborne receipts from Gulf Coast refining centers for much of its transportation fuel supply. Shipments of gasoline blending components and distillate fuel hit records of 620,000 and 220,000 barrels per day, respectively, in April. Total waterborne movements declined 12 percent in May, but crude oil shipments to the East Coast rose to a record 180,000 barrels per day.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration -- https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67964