Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle V— Merchant Marine › Part D— Promotional Programs › Chapter 551— COASTWISE TRADE › § 55122
Some moves of floating dry docks do not have to follow the usual movement rule. The dry dock must be used to launch or lift a ship for building, maintenance, or repair. It must be owned and run by a U.S. shipyard that is an eligible owner under federal law, or by that shipyard’s affiliate. The shipyard must have owned it or contracted to buy it before the date the Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 became law, or have signed a letter of intent before that date. The movement must stay within 5 nautical miles of the owning shipyard, except docks covered by that letter of intent may move between Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. For dry docks used to build Navy ships at U.S. shipyards, the Secretary of the Navy can say the ownership rule is met and use December 19, 2017 instead of the earlier date if the Secretary finds the dock is needed to finish work on time and the dock is properly owned or operated (or owned by a State and run by an eligible shipyard). The Secretary must notify the House Committees on Armed Services and Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committees on Armed Services and Commerce, Science, and Transportation within 30 days. A “floating dry dock” here means equipment with wing walls and a fully submersible deck.
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Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 55122
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60