Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle V— - Merchant Marine › Part Part G— - Restrictions and Penalties › Chapter CHAPTER 581— - RESTRICTIONS AND PENALTIES › § 58101
The government will not give a payment under the operating-differential subsidy program, and will not charter a vessel under chapter 575, to a contractor or charterer if that contractor or charterer, or a related company (like a parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or associate), or any of their officers, directors, agents, or executives, directly or indirectly, either owns/charters/operates a vessel in the domestic intercoastal or coastwise service or has a money interest in someone who does. A person can apply to the Secretary of Transportation for a waiver. The Secretary must hold a hearing first. The Secretary must deny the waiver if it would cause unfair competition to someone who only works in the domestic intercoastal or coastwise service or if it would hurt the law’s goals. The Secretary must grant the waiver without more proof if the applicant (or a predecessor) was a bona-fide common carrier by water on the same route in 1935 and has kept operating since then (or, for seasonal services, operated in 1935 during its season), except for interruptions beyond their control. If a waiver is approved, the person may not move money, property, or other value from the subsidized foreign-trade operation into intercoastal or coastwise operations.
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Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 58101
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73