US to Ease Shipping Rule in Bid to Tame Spiraling Fuel Prices

The 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.