Puerto Rico governor calls on U.S. to allow ship carrying vital diesel fuel to dock at hurricane-ravaged island
CBSN
More than a week after Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico — knocking out water and power lines across the island — hundreds of thousands of the island's residents and businesses continued to experience blackouts on Monday. A ship carrying about 300,000 barrels of much-needed diesel fuel was scheduled to arrive in the hard-hit region on Sunday night, but has so far been unable to dock because of restrictions established by a shipping law that dates back roughly 100 years, reports CBS News lead national correspondent for "CBS Mornings" David Begnaud.
The story was first reported by Mardelis Jusino of Las Noticias Teleonce.
The Jones Act requires merchandise traveling between U.S. ports to be delivered on vessels that were primarily built in the U.S., and are owned and operated by Americans. Tariffs and taxes are imposed on foreign vessels that dock in U.S. ports.
Around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed when a cargo ship lost power and crashed into it. Officials were able to prevent cars from driving onto the bridge just before the accident, but eight construction workers remained on the structure and plummeted into the river below. Here's how the events unfolded.