Where Jones Act Vessels Go: An Operational Analysis

Figure 1. Summary of Findings

Cargo Vessel Operations

Jones Act cargo vessels maintain regular service on fixed routes connecting the contiguous United States with non-contiguous states and territories. The cargo fleet's average build year is 1999.

Jones Act-eligible vessels generally do not transport any cargo between any two ports in the contiguous U.S., except incidentally in their service of the non-contiguous U.S. state and territories. The sole exception to this is a small specialized vessel used exclusively to transport rocket parts from Alabama to Floridian and Californian rocket launch sites.

Table 1. Cargo Service Distribution

Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.

Cargo Route Characteristics

Hawaii Cargo Service: Nine vessels operate between California ports (with occasional Washington State service) and Hawaii, primarily serving Honolulu. Ships typically return from Hawaii mostly empty, though a small amount of cargo is transported back from Honolulu to Tacoma. The fleet consists primarily of small containerships and includes the Jones Act fleet's sole vehicle carrier.

Pacific Cargo Service: This category encompasses Matson's CLX service, operating between China and Los Angeles with return voyage calls at Honolulu, Naha (Japan, serving U.S. military facilities), and Guam. The CLX service uses 3,600 TEU containerships built by Philly Shipyard. These represent the largest containerships in the Jones Act fleet, and are comparable to international feeder vessels.

After unloading Chinese imports in Long Beach, the ships are reloaded with a similar or greater volume of goods bound for U.S. territories. This westbound cargo is primarily discharged in Honolulu, with remaining volumes continuing to Naha and Guam. 

Puerto Rico Cargo Service: Five containerships maintain service between Jacksonville and San Juan (four vessels) and Houston and San Juan (one vessel), with occasional Caribbean port calls.

Alaska Cargo Service: The Alaska trade employs eleven vessels in three segments:

• Five containerships (averaging 22,000 DWT) serving major Alaskan ports from Washington State

• Five refrigerated cargo vessels (averaging 1,800 DWT) serving multiple Alaskan settlements, used for general cargo in addition to temperature-sensitive goods

• One refrigerated vessel transporting seafood from Alaska to Tacoma

The Alaska fleet includes the Coastal Trader, commissioned in 1962, currently the oldest vessel in active Jones Act service.

Rocketship: The R/S Rocketship is a small Ro-Ro used exclusively to transport rocket components from Decatur, AL to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL and to Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA.

Tanker Operations

The tanker fleet, with an average build year of 2008, primarily serves routes where pipeline infrastructure is absent or insufficient for petroleum product demand.

Table 2. Tanker Service Distribution

Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.

Tanker Route Characteristics

Alaskan Crude Transport: Fourteen tankers transport crude oil from Alaska to refineries in Washington State and California. This service represents 44% of tanker capacity and 36% of total Jones Act fleet capacity, necessitated by the absence of pipeline connections between Alaska and the contiguous United States.

Figure 2. Crude oil pipelines as of 2025, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Florida Tanker Service: Twenty vessels deliver petroleum products from Gulf Coast refineries to Florida terminals. With no in-state refineries or crude oil pipelines, Florida depends on maritime delivery for fuel supply beyond available pipeline capacity.

East Coast Tanker Service: Seven tankers transport petroleum products from Gulf Coast refineries to East Coast markets where demand exceeds pipeline capacity.

Inter-Gulf Tanker Transport: Three tankers (two carrying refined products, one carrying crude) transport petroleum between various refineries and terminals within the Gulf Coast region, supplementing existing pipeline infrastructure.

West Coast Tanker Service: Six tankers move refined products from Washington State refineries to California markets.

Renewable Diesel Service: Three tankers transport renewable diesel from Gulf Coast production facilities to California via the Panama Canal, a 30-36 day voyage driven by California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard credits system.

Puerto Rico LNG Service: One tanker transports liquefied natural gas from Texas to Puerto Rico's 510 MW EcoEléctrica power facility. This French-built vessel (1994) entered Jones Act service in 2025 through provisions allowing foreign-built tanker acquisitions for vessels constructed before 1996. U.S. shipyards have not built any LNG vessels since 1980.

Inactive Ships

Eight vessels (approximately 10% of the fleet) recorded minimal or no port calls during the analysis period:

• Maunalei (2006): Containership historically operating on Matson's China routes. The vessel recorded no port calls in 2024 and recently completed a 67-day port stay in Oakland, suggesting possible repair work.

• RJ Pfeiffer (1992): Containership with limited recent activity.

• Empire State (2010): Tanker with limited recent activity.

• Polar Discovery (2003): Tanker with limited recent activity.

• Mokihana (1983): Containership moored in Oakland with no recorded port calls in 2025.

• Sea Trader (1976): Refrigerated cargo vessel last recorded as active in 2023.

• Geysir (1980): Cargo vessel (small tonnage) last recorded as active in 2017.

• Horizon Spirit (1980): Cargo ship currently designated for scrapping.

Conclusion

The operational data reveals distinct patterns in how the Jones Act fleet serves U.S. domestic commerce. Maritime transport remains essential for non-contiguous territories, with 31 cargo vessels maintaining regular service to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The tanker fleet of 54 vessels primarily operates on routes where pipeline infrastructure is absent or insufficient—most notably the Alaska-to-West Coast crude transport and Gulf Coast-to-Florida refined product deliveries.

Oceangoing vessels provide minimal service between contiguous U.S. ports. The single exception is a specialized vessel transporting rocket components—the only regular cargo service between any two continental ports identified in this analysis.

The fleet shows signs of aging, with cargo vessels averaging 25 years old and several vessels from the 1960s-1980s still in active service. Fleet capacity has remained relatively stable over the past decade, with limited new construction.

Figure 3. Data from MARAD’s Historical Vessel Inventory Reports. In the last decade, the Jones Act fleet has stagnated in vessel number and capacity.

These patterns reflect the current operational reality of U.S. domestic maritime commerce: service concentrated where geographic necessity requires it, with limited expansion into routes where land-based alternatives exist.

This operational baseline may serve as a useful reference for policymakers and researchers examining domestic shipping policy and maritime commerce. For questions about this analysis or access to the underlying vessel tracking data, please contact info@balsaresearch.com.