HOUSTON (Reuters) – A cargo of diesel fuel initially barred from hurricane hit Puerto Rico entered the island’s Guayanilla port late Thursday, according to Refinitiv Eikon vessel tracking service, under a Biden administration waiver.
The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker GH Parks, which loaded outside Texas this month, was impeded from discharging four days ago because of the Jones Act, a maritime law that requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by U.S.-flagged ships.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas approved a waiver to ensure Puerto Ricans “have sufficient diesel to run generators needed for electricity and the functioning of critical facilities after Hurricane Fiona,” he said.
About 239,000 homes and businesses were estimated to be without power in Puerto Rico on Thursday almost two weeks after Hurricane Fiona hit the island, data showed.
(Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar in Houston)
