What Is New With Trump Shipping in October 2026? Latest court filings and agency records and Key Takeaways

New Trump shipping action in October 2026 involves an energy-only Jones Act waiver active through mid-November, port fees set to resume November 10, and tariff-refund court filings. Agency records also track tens of millions of barrels moved under the waiver and new challenges to replacement tariffs. The Jones Act is the U.S. law that normally requires cargo between U.S.

ports to move on American-built, owned and crewed ships. For readers, the practical effect is fuel supply, freight costs and importer refunds. Waiver records show Gulf Coast gasoline and jet fuel reaching the West Coast on foreign tankers. Fee and tariff records point to higher shipping costs and open refund claims.

Is the Jones Act waiver still active?
How much fuel moved and what went missing?
Are China ship fees coming back November 10?
What changed on emissions and tariff refunds?
What should importers and fuel buyers do now?

Is the Jones Act waiver still active?

President Trump on Aug. 10, 2026 extended the March 17 waiver for 90 days through mid-November. Reuters reported that the extension narrowed coverage to energy cargoes with case-by-case Pentagon-MARAD review after shipbuilder objections, in Reuters' account of the extension. That review means an operator must justify each energy movement.

It does not open the waiver to containers, dry bulk or other goods. Shippers outside energy cannot use it. The limit matters for accountability checks. Only energy voyages with Pentagon-MARAD approval count as covered. Other foreign port-to-port moves remain subject to normal Jones Act enforcement.

How much fuel moved and what went missing?

MARAD's Sept. 16 public tally counted 255 completed waiver movements. Vessel-tracking plus ballast records identified 14-15 additional foreign-tanker voyages missing because operators did not report within 10 days, according to gCaptain reporting in gCaptain's review of the unreported voyages. Bloomberg Government analysis of MARAD reports found foreign-flagged ships moved more than $40 million of petroleum between U.S.

ports without legally required waiver-use disclosures. The gap came from late or missing filings, not from published approvals. Cato's MARAD-based tracker put total movement at about 67.7 million barrels by mid-September. That included more Gulf Coast-to-West Coast gasoline and jet fuel in 70 days than in all of 2020-2025 combined. Freight savings were real but modest on a national scale.

Are China ship fees coming back November 10?

USTR's Section 301 port fees charge Chinese-owned or Chinese-built ships $50 per net ton from Oct. 14. Seatrade Maritime reported the fees were suspended for one year after the Oct. 30, 2025 Trump-Xi Busan deal, with China pausing retaliatory fees in parallel. The suspension legally expires at 11:59 p.m. ET Nov. 9, 2026 under Federal Register notice 2025-19873. FreightWaves reported Sept.

29 that fees resume Nov. 10 without a new USTR notice, despite a broader truce extension to Jan. 10, 2027, in FreightWaves' account of the truce terms. Carriers, importers and exporters face a clear break point. A ship calling on Nov. 9 falls under the pause. A ship calling on Nov. 10 faces the fee unless USTR acts.

What changed on emissions and tariff refunds?

Trump told the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 22, 2026 that his administration blocked the IMO Net-Zero Framework. SAFETY4SEA reported he called emissions pricing a global carbon tax that would raise shipping costs 10-20%. The position affects future fuel surcharges and compliance costs. It does not remove existing U.S. fuel or safety rules.

Shippers still must meet current port and vessel requirements. On tariffs, Leyton reported CBP's CAPE system in ACE covered about $166 billion on 53 million entries by 330,000 importers after the Supreme Court voided IEEPA tariffs on Feb. 20, 2026. Phase 3 opened Oct. 6. CNN reported Sept. 30 filings now challenge replacement Section 122 and 301 tariffs and press $168 billion in refund claims.

What should importers and fuel buyers do now?

Importers with IEEPA-tariff entries should confirm their entries appear in CAPE. Brokers can check ACE records, entry dates and refund-protest deadlines. Missing entries will slow any refund.

Fuel buyers should watch waiver end dates and West Coast stock reports. Waiver cargo lifted Gulf Coast supply pressure for gasoline and jet fuel. Its end can shift regional prices.

Check ACE for each affected entry and save CBP receipts.
Ask your broker about Phase 3 filing windows opening Oct. 6.
Track vessel arrival dates around Nov. 10 for port-fee exposure.
Keep fuel invoices showing waiver-period delivery dates and routes.

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