§ 55101. Application of coastwise laws

• (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), the coastwise laws apply to the United States, including the island territories and possessions of the United States.
• (b) The coastwise laws do not apply to—
  • (1) American Samoa;
  • (2) the Northern Mariana Islands, except as provided in section 502(b) of the Covenant To Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union With the United States of America ( 48 U.S.C. 1801 note); or
  • (3) the Virgin Islands until the President declares by proclamation that the coastwise laws apply to the Virgin Islands.

§ 55102. Transportation of merchandise

• (a) In this section, the term “merchandise” includes—
  • (1) merchandise owned by the United States Government, a State, or a subdivision of a State; and
  • (2) valueless material.
• (b) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter or chapter 121 of this title, a vessel may not provide any part of the transportation of merchandise by water, or by land and water, between points in the United States to which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or via a foreign port, unless the vessel—
  • (1) is wholly owned by citizens of the United States for purposes of engaging in the coastwise trade; and
  • (2) has been issued a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement under chapter 121 or is exempt from documentation but would otherwise be eligible for such a certificate and endorsement.
• (c) Merchandise transported in violation of subsection (b) is liable to seizure by and forfeiture to the Government. Alternatively, an amount equal to the value of the merchandise (as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security) or the actual cost of the transportation, whichever is greater, may be recovered from any person transporting the merchandise or causing the merchandise to be transported.

§ 55103. Transportation of passengers

• (a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter or chapter 121 of this title, a vessel may not transport passengers between ports or places in the United States to which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or via a foreign port, unless the vessel—
  • (1) is wholly owned by citizens of the United States for purposes of engaging in the coastwise trade; and
  • (2) has been issued a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement under chapter 121 or is exempt from documentation but would otherwise be eligible for such a certificate and endorsement.
• (b) The penalty for violating subsection (a) is $300 for each passenger transported and landed.

§ 55104. Transportation of passengers between Puerto Rico and other ports in the United States

• (a) In this section:
  • (1) The term “certificate” means a certificate of financial responsibility for indemnification of passengers for nonperformance of transportation issued by the Federal Maritime Commission under section 44102 of this title .
  • (2) The term “passenger vessel” means a vessel of similar size, or offering similar service, as any other vessel transporting passengers under subsection (b).
• (b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a vessel not qualified to engage in the coastwise trade may transport passengers between a port in Puerto Rico and another port in the United States.
• (c)
  • (1) On a showing to the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, by the vessel owner or charterer, that a United States passenger vessel qualified to engage in the coastwise trade is offering or advertising passenger service between a port in Puerto Rico and another port in the United States pursuant to a certificate, the Secretary shall notify the owner or operator of each vessel transporting passengers under subsection (b) to terminate that transportation within 270 days after the Secretary’s notification. Except as provided in subsection (d), the authority to transport passengers under subsection (b) expires at the end of that 270-day period.
  • (2) On a showing to the Secretary, by the vessel owner or charterer, that a United States passenger vessel not qualified to engage in the coastwise trade is offering or advertising passenger service between a port in Puerto Rico and another port in the United States pursuant to a certificate, the Secretary shall notify the owner or operator of each foreign vessel transporting passengers under subsection (b) to terminate that transportation within 270 days after the Secretary’s notification. Except as provided in subsection (d), the authority of a foreign vessel to transport passengers under subsection (b) expires at the end of that 270-day period.
• (d) If the vessel offering or advertising the service described in subsection (c) has not begun that service within 270 days after the Secretary’s notification, the expiration provided by subsection (c) is delayed until 90 days after the vessel offering or advertising the service begins that service.
• (e) If the Secretary finds that the service on which an expiration was based is no longer available, the expired authority to transport passengers is reinstated.

§ 55105. Transportation of hazardous waste

• (a) The transportation of hazardous waste, as defined in section 1004(5) of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 ( 42 U.S.C. 6903(5) ), from a point in the United States to sea for incineration is deemed to be transportation of merchandise under section 55102 of this title .
• (b)
  • (1) Subsection (a) does not apply to transportation performed by a foreign ocean incineration vessel owned by or under construction on May 1, 1982 , for a corporation wholly owned by citizens of the United States under section 50501(a)–(c) of this title.
  • (2) Incineration equipment on a vessel described in paragraph (1) must meet standards of the Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • (3) A vessel described in paragraph (1) shall be inspected by the Coast Guard, regardless of whether inspected by the nation in which it is registered. The inspection shall be the same as would be required of a vessel of the United States, including drydock inspection and internal examination of tanks and void spaces. The inspection may be made concurrently with an inspection by that nation or within one year after the initial issuance or next scheduled issuance of the Safety of Life at Sea Safety Construction Certificate. In making the inspection, the Coast Guard shall refer to the condition of the hull and superstructure established by the initial foreign certification as the basis for evaluating the current condition of the hull and superstructure. The Coast Guard shall allow the substitution of fittings, material, apparatus, equipment, and appliances different from those required for vessels of the United States if satisfied they are equivalent and at least as effective as those required for vessels of the United States. A satisfactory inspection under this paragraph shall be certified in writing by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
• (c) Subsection (a) is not effective until an appropriate vessel has been built and documented under chapter 121 of this title.

§ 55106. Merchandise transferred between barges

• (a) On terms and conditions the Secretary of Homeland Security may prescribe by regulation, the Secretary may suspend the application of section 55102 of this title to the transportation of merchandise that is transferred, when moving in the foreign trade of the United States, from a barge certified by the owner or operator as designed specifically for carriage on a vessel and carried regularly on a vessel in foreign trade, to another such barge owned or leased by the same owner or operator. However, this subsection does not apply to transportation between the continental United States and noncontiguous States, territories, or possessions to which the coastwise laws apply.
• (b) This section applies to a vessel of foreign registry only if the Secretary of Homeland Security finds, based on information from the Secretary of State, that the government of the nation of registry extends reciprocal privileges to vessels of the United States.

§ 55107. Empty cargo containers and barges

• (a) Subject to subsections (b) and (c), and on terms and conditions the Secretary of Homeland Security may prescribe by regulation, section 55102 of this title does not apply to the transportation of—
  • (1) empty cargo vans, empty lift vans, or empty shipping tanks;
  • (2) equipment for use with cargo vans, lift vans, or shipping tanks;
  • (3) empty barges specifically designed for carriage aboard a vessel and equipment (except propulsion equipment) for use with those barges;
  • (4) empty instruments for international traffic exempted from the customs laws under section 322(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930 ( 19 U.S.C. 1322(a) ); or
  • (5) stevedoring equipment and material.
• (b)
  • (1) Paragraphs (1)–(4) of subsection (a) apply only if the items named are owned or leased by the owner or operator of the vessel and transported for its use in handling its cargo in foreign trade.
  • (2) Paragraph (5) of subsection (a) applies only if the items named are—
    • (A) owned or leased by the owner or operator of the vessel or by the stevedoring company having the contract for the loading or unloading of the vessel; and
    • (B) transported without charge for use in the handling of cargo in foreign trade.
• (c) This section applies to a vessel of foreign registry only if the Secretary of Homeland Security finds, based on information from the Secretary of State, that the government of the nation of registry extends reciprocal privileges to vessels of the United States.

§ 55108. Platform jackets

• (a) In this section:
  • (1) The term “coastwise qualified vessel” means a vessel that has been issued a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement under chapter 121 of this title.
  • (2) The term “platform jacket” refers to a single physical component and includes any type of offshore exploration, development, or production structure or component thereof, including—
    • (A) platform jackets;
    • (B) tension leg or SPAR platform superstructures (including the deck, drilling rig and support utilities, and supporting structure);
    • (C) hull (including vertical legs and connecting pontoons or vertical cylinder);
    • (D) tower and base sections of a platform jacket;
    • (E) jacket structures; and
    • (F) deck modules (known as “topsides”).
• (b) Section 55102 of this title does not apply to the transportation of a platform jacket in or on a non-coastwise qualified launch barge between two points in the United States, at one of which there is an installation or other device within the meaning of section 4(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act ( 43 U.S.C. 1333(a) ), if—
  • (1) the launch barge was built before December 31, 2000 , and has a launch capacity of at least 12,000 long tons; and
  • (2) the Secretary of Transportation makes a determination, in accordance with procedures established under subsection (c), that a suitable coastwise qualified vessel is not available for use in the transportation and, if needed, launch or installation of a platform jacket.
• (c) The Secretary of Transportation shall adopt procedures implementing this section that are reasonably designed to provide timely information so as to maximize the use of coastwise qualified vessels. The procedures shall, among other things, establish that for purposes of this section, a coastwise qualified vessel shall be deemed to be not available only if—
  • (1) on application by an owner or operator for the use of a non-coastwise qualified launch barge for transportation of a platform jacket under this section (which application shall include all relevant information, including engineering details and timing requirements), the Secretary promptly publishes a notice in the Federal Register—
    • (A) describing the project and the platform jacket involved;
    • (B) advising that all relevant information reasonably needed to assess the transportation requirements for the platform jacket will be made available to interested parties on request; and
    • (C) requesting that information on the availability of coastwise qualified vessels be submitted within 30 days after publication of that notice; and
  • (2)
    • (A) no information is submitted to the Secretary within that 30 day period; or
    • (B) the owner or operator of a coastwise qualified vessel submits information to the Secretary asserting that the owner or operator has a suitable coastwise qualified vessel available for the transportation, but the Secretary determines, within 90 days after the notice is first published, that the coastwise qualified vessel is not suitable or reasonably available for the transportation.

§ 55109. Dredging

• (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), a vessel may engage in dredging in the navigable waters of the United States only if—
  • (1) the vessel is wholly owned by citizens of the United States for purposes of engaging in the coastwise trade;
  • (2) the charterer, if any, is a citizen of the United States for purposes of engaging in the coastwise trade; and
  • (3) the vessel has been issued a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement under chapter 121 of this title or is exempt from documentation but would otherwise be eligible for such a certificate and endorsement.
• (b) A documented vessel with a registry endorsement may engage in the dredging of gold in Alaska.
• (c) If a vessel is operated in knowing violation of this section, the vessel and its equipment are liable to seizure by and forfeiture to the United States Government.

§ 55110. Transportation of valueless material or dredged material

Section 55102 of this title applies to the transportation of valueless material or dredged material, regardless of whether it has commercial value, from a point in the United States or on the high seas within the exclusive economic zone, to another point in the United States or on the high seas within the exclusive economic zone.

§ 55111. Towing

• (a) Except when towing a vessel in distress, a vessel may not do any part of any towing described in subsection (b) unless the towing vessel—
  • (1) is wholly owned by citizens of the United States for purposes of engaging in the coastwise trade; and
  • (2) has been issued a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement under chapter 121 of this title or is exempt from documentation but would otherwise be eligible for such a certificate and endorsement.
• (b) Subsection (a) applies to the towing of—
  • (1) a vessel between ports or places in the United States to which the coastwise laws apply, either directly or via a foreign port or place;
  • (2) a vessel from point to point within the harbors of ports or places to which the coastwise laws apply; or
  • (3) a vessel transporting valueless material or dredged material, regardless of whether it has commercial value, from a point in the United States or on the high seas within the exclusive economic zone, to another point in the United States or on the high seas within the exclusive economic zone.
• (c)
  • (1) The owner and master of a vessel towing another vessel in violation of this section are each liable for a penalty of at least $350 but not more than $1,100. A penalty under this paragraph constitutes a lien on the vessel. The lien is enforceable in a district court of the United States for any district in which the vessel is found. Clearance may not be granted to the vessel until the penalties have been paid.
  • (2) In addition to the penalties under paragraph (1), the towing vessel is liable for a penalty of $60 per ton based on the tonnage of each towed vessel.

§ 55112. Vessel escort operations and towing assistance

• (a) Except in the case of a vessel in distress, only a vessel of the United States may perform the following escort vessel operations within the navigable waters of the United States:
  • (1) Operations that commence or terminate at a port or place in the United States.
  • (2) Operations required by United States law or regulation.
  • (3) Operations provided in whole or in part within or through navigation facilities owned, maintained, or operated by the United States Government or the approaches to those facilities, other than facilities operated by the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation on the St. Lawrence River portion of the Seaway.
• (b) For purposes of this section, an escort vessel is—
  • (1) any vessel that is assigned and dedicated to assist another vessel, whether or not tethered to that vessel, solely as a safety precaution to assist in controlling the speed or course of the assisted vessel in the event of a steering or propulsion equipment failure, or any other similar emergency circumstance, or in restricted waters where additional assistance in maneuvering the vessel is required to ensure its safe operation; and
  • (2) in the case of a vessel being towed under section 55111 of this title , any vessel that is assigned and dedicated to the vessel being towed in addition to any towing vessel required under that section.
• (c) This section does not affect section 55111 of this title .
• (d) A person violating this section is liable to the Government for a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 for each day during which the violation occurs.

§ 55113. Use of foreign documented oil spill response vessels

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an oil spill response vessel documented under the laws of a foreign country may operate in waters of the United States on an emergency and temporary basis, for the purpose of recovering, transporting, and unloading in a United States port oil discharged as a result of an oil spill in or near those waters, if—

• (1) an adequate number and type of oil spill response vessels documented under the laws of the United States cannot be engaged to recover oil from an oil spill in or near those waters in a timely manner, as determined by the Federal On-Scene Coordinator for a discharge or threat of a discharge of oil; and
• (2) the foreign country has by its laws accorded to vessels of the United States the same privileges accorded to vessels of the foreign country under this section.

§ 55114. Unloading fish from foreign vessels

• (a) Except as otherwise provided by this section or a treaty or convention to which the United States is a party, a foreign vessel may not unload, in a port of the United States—
  • (1) its catch of fish taken on board on the high seas or fish products processed from that catch of fish; or
  • (2) fish or fish products taken on board that vessel on the high seas from a vessel engaged in fishing operations or the processing of fish or fish products.
• (b) The Secretary of Commerce may prescribe regulations the Secretary considers necessary to obtain information on the transportation of fish products by vessels of the United States for foreign fish processing vessels to points in the United States.
• (c)
  • (1) A foreign vessel of not more than 50 feet overall in length may unload its catch of fresh fish (whole or with the heads, viscera, or fins removed, but not frozen, otherwise processed, or further advanced) in a port of the Virgin Islands for immediate consumption in those islands. Fish unloaded under this paragraph may be sold or transferred only for immediate consumption. In the absence of satisfactory evidence that a sale or transfer to an agent, representative, or employee of a freezer or cannery is for immediate consumption, the sale or transfer is deemed not to be for immediate consumption. This paragraph does not prohibit the freezing, smoking, or other processing of fresh fish by the ultimate consumer of the fish.
  • (2) Fish unloaded in the Virgin Islands that are retained, sold, or transferred, except as allowed by paragraph (1), are liable to seizure by and forfeiture to the United States Government. A person retaining, selling, transferring, buying, or receiving the fish is liable to the Government for a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 for each violation. A penalty or forfeiture under this paragraph may be compromised, modified, or remitted under section 2107(b) of this title .
• (d) Subsection (a) does not apply to the Northern Mariana Islands.

§ 55115. Supplies on fish processing vessels

Section 55102 of this title does not apply to supplies aboard a United States documented fish processing vessel that are necessary and used for processing or assembling fishery products aboard such a vessel.

§ 55116. Canadian rail lines

Section 55102 of this title does not apply to the transportation of merchandise between points in the continental United States, including Alaska, over through routes in part over Canadian rail lines and connecting water facilities if the routes are recognized by the Surface Transportation Board and rate tariffs for the routes have been filed with the Board.

§ 55117. Great Lakes rail route

Section 55102 of this title does not apply to the transportation of merchandise loaded on a railroad car or to a motor vehicle with or without a trailer, and with its passengers or contents when accompanied by the operator, when the railroad car or motor vehicle is transported in a railroad car ferry operated between fixed terminals on the Great Lakes as part of a rail route, if—

• (1) the car ferry is owned by a common carrier by water and operated as part of a rail route with the approval of the Surface Transportation Board;
• (2) the stock of the common carrier by water, or its predecessor, was owned or controlled by a common carrier by rail prior to June 5, 1920 ;
• (3) the stock of the common carrier owning the car ferry is, with the approval of the Board, now owned or controlled by a common carrier by rail; and
• (4) the car ferry is built in and documented under the laws of the United States.

§ 55118. Foreign railroads whose road enters by ferry, tugboat, or towboat

A foreign railroad, whose road enters the United States by ferry, tugboat, or towboat, may own and operate a vessel not having a coastwise endorsement in connection with the water transportation of the passenger, freight, express, baggage, and mail cars used by that road, together with the passengers, freight, express matter, baggage, and mails transported in those cars. However, the foreign railroad is subject to the same restrictions imposed by law on a vessel of the United States entering a port of the United States from the same foreign country. Except as otherwise authorized by this chapter, the ferry, tugboat, or towboat may not, under penalty of forfeiture, be used in the transportation of merchandise between ports or places in the United States to which the coastwise laws apply.

§ 55119. Yukon River

Section 55102 of this title does not apply to the transportation of merchandise on the Yukon River until the Alaska Railroad is completed and the Secretary of Transportation finds that proper facilities will be available for transportation by citizens of the United States to properly handle the traffic.

§ 55120. Transshipment of imported merchandise intended for immediate exportation

The Secretary of Homeland Security may prescribe regulations for the transshipment and transportation of merchandise that is imported into the United States by sea for immediate exportation to a foreign port by sea, or by a river, the right to ascend or descend which for the purposes of commerce is secured by treaty to the citizens of the United States and the subjects of a foreign power.

§ 55121. Transportation of merchandise and passengers on Canadian vessels

• (a) Until passenger service is established by vessels of the United States between the port of Rochester, New York, and the port of Alexandria Bay, New York, the Secretary of Homeland Security may issue annually permits to Canadian passenger vessels to transport passengers between those ports. Canadian vessels holding such a permit are not subject to section 55103 of this title .
• (b) Until the Secretary of Transportation determines that service by vessels of the United States is available to provide the transportation described in paragraph (1) or (2), sections 55102 and 55103 of this title do not apply to the transportation on Canadian vessels of—
  • (1) passengers between ports in southeastern Alaska; or
  • (2) passengers or merchandise between Hyder, Alaska, and other points in southeastern Alaska or in the United States outside Alaska.

§ 55122. Floating dry docks

• (a) Section 55102 of this title does not apply to the movement of a floating dry dock if—
  • (1) the floating dry dock—
    • (A) is being used to launch or raise a vessel in connection with the construction, maintenance, or repair of that vessel;
    • (B) is owned and operated by—
      • (i) a shipyard located in the United States that is an eligible owner specified under section 12103(b) of this title ; or
      • (ii) an affiliate of such a shipyard; and
    • (C) was owned or contracted for purchase by such shipyard or affiliate prior to the date of the enactment of the Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015; and
  • (2) the movement occurs within 5 nautical miles of the shipyard or affiliate that owns and operates such floating dry dock.
• (b)
  • (1) In applying subsection (a) to a floating dry dock used for the construction of naval vessels in a shipyard located in the United States, the ownership and operation requirement in paragraph (1)(B) of that subsection shall be treated as satisfied and “ December 19, 2017 ” shall be substituted for the date referred to in paragraph (1)(C) of that subsection if the Secretary of the Navy determines that—
    • (A) such dry dock is necessary for the timely completion of such construction; and
    • (B) such dry dock—
      • (i) is owned and operated by—
        • (I) a shipyard located in the United States that is an eligible owner specified under section 12103(b); or
        • (II) an affiliate of such a shipyard; or
      • (ii) is—
        • (I) owned by the State in which the shipyard is located or a political subdivision of that State; and
        • (II) operated by a shipyard located in the United States that is an eligible owner specified under section 12103(b).
  • (2) Not later than 30 days after making a determination under paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Navy shall notify the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate of such determination.
• (c) In this section, the term “floating dry dock” means equipment with wing walls and a fully submersible deck.