Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-73not60
§50108 Studies on Cargo Carriage and Cargo Containers
Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle V— Merchant Marine › Part A— General › Chapter 501— POLICY, STUDIES, AND REPORTS › § 50108
Summary
The Secretary of Transportation must study how to promote new ways of carrying cargo in U.S. domestic and foreign trade and must look at the economic and technical issues of using cargo containers under section 50101. The U.S. Government may not favor carriers because of container dimensions or container-cell size; this rule applies to all current and any future container ships.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §50108
Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Secretary of Transportation shall study—
(1)the methods of encouraging the development and implementation of new concepts for the carriage of cargo in the domestic and foreign commerce of the United States; and
(2)the economic and technological aspects of the use of cargo containers as a method of carrying out the policy in section 50101 of this title.
(b)In carrying out subsection (a) and the policy in section 50101 of this title, the United States Government may not give preference as between carriers based on the length, height, or width of cargo containers or the length, height, or width of cargo container cells. This restriction applies to all existing container vessels and any container vessel to be constructed or rebuilt.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 5010846 App.:1122(f).June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title II, § 212(f); as added Pub. L. 90–268, § 1, Mar. 16, 1968, 82 Stat. 49; Pub. L. 97–31, § 12(69), Aug. 6, 1981, 95 Stat. 159; Pub. L. 98–237, § 20(c), Mar. 20, 1984, 98 Stat. 90.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 50108
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60