The arrival of a Chinese-owned tanker carrying asphalt from Louisiana to Connecticut under a Jones Act waiver has intensified the debate over the emergency exemption, reported Ventura, California's gCaptain.

The asphalt tanker Jin Zhou Wan completed a voyage from New Orleans to New Haven between May 21 and May 28. The American Maritime Partnership (AMP) highlighted the shipment, questioning its link to national security.

The waiver, enacted in March after the Strait of Hormuz crisis and extended through mid-August, allows foreign-flagged vessels to transport cargo between US ports. Normally, the Jones Act restricts such trade to US-built, US-owned, US-flagged, and US-crewed ships.

The Jin Zhou Wan is a 13,265-deadweight-ton asphalt tanker built in 2017 and registered under the Chinese flag. It is owned and operated by Cosco Shipping Asphalt Hainan, a subsidiary of China Cosco Shipping Corporation, which has appeared on Pentagon lists of 'Chinese military companies.'

AMP launched a national advertising campaign opposing the waiver, arguing it costs American mariners jobs while delivering minimal consumer benefit. AMP President Jennifer Carpenter stated that the policy 'puts America last by allowing foreign operators and mariners to take American business and jobs.'

The group's dashboard estimates that waiver shipments have moved 14.9 million barrels of fuel since March 17, equivalent to 17.7 hours of US consumption.

The Trump administration has defended the waiver as a temporary measure to stabilize domestic energy supplies after Middle East disruptions. Industry analysis shows that at least 60 waiver-approved voyages have moved crude oil and refined products between US ports since March.

Whether asphalt shipments qualify as national security necessities is expected to become a flashpoint in the wider political battle over the waiver and the role of foreign shipping in US domestic trade.