Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle V— - Merchant Marine › Part Part A— - General › Chapter CHAPTER 501— - POLICY, STUDIES, AND REPORTS › § 50109
The Secretary of Transportation must investigate, decide, and keep up-to-date records about several shipping topics. These include how foreign governments help their merchant fleets, which shipping laws should also apply to airplanes flying in foreign trade to support the policy in this title, and whether the Secretary should be allowed, in an economic or commercial emergency, to help farmers and producers of cotton, coal, lumber, and cement by cutting rates, supplying extra ships to U.S. operators, or running ships directly until the aid is no longer needed. The Secretary must also study intercoastal and inland water transportation and how they link with land and air transport. The Secretary must report to Congress on scrapping or removing old government-owned merchant ships and on tramp shipping and U.S. citizen participation in it. Finally, the Secretary must review how vessel mortgage loans are treated to find ways to make those loans safer and attract investment in American shipping.
Full Legal Text
Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 50109
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73