The Jones Act and American coastal shipping

Does the United States still use the Jones Act, and what is it intended to do?

Yes. It reserves domestic American cargo movements to American shipping in order to help preserve the United States merchant marine.

The Jones Act restricts cargo movements between United States ports. Its stated purpose here is to keep an American-flagged merchant marine viable rather than surrender domestic trade to foreign carriers. The policy links peacetime commercial regulation to the preservation of maritime capacity. The measure also belongs to an older competitive setting shaped by British strength in merchant shipping.