Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-73not60
§55302 Transportation of United States Government Personnel
Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle V— Merchant Marine › Part D— Promotional Programs › Chapter 553— PASSENGER AND CARGO PREFERENCES › Subchapter I— GOVERNMENT IMPELLED TRANSPORTATION › § 55302
Summary
Federal employees traveling overseas or to or from U.S. territories must use U.S.-flagged ships for travel and belongings when one is available; the General Services Administration must make rules so agencies won't pay for foreign-ship travel without clear proof it was necessary.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §55302
Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)An officer or employee of the United States Government traveling by sea on official business overseas or to or from a territory or possession of the United States shall travel and transport personal effects on a vessel documented under the laws of the United Sates if such a vessel is available, unless the necessity of the mission requires the use of a foreign vessel.
(b)The Administrator of General Services shall prescribe regulations under which agencies may not pay for or reimburse an officer or employee for travel or transportation expenses incurred on a foreign vessel in the absence of satisfactory proof of the necessity of using the vessel.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 5530246 App.:1241(a).June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title IX, § 901(a), 49 Stat. 2015; Aug. 26, 1954, ch. 936, 68 Stat. 832; Pub. L. 104–316, title I, § 125, Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3839. In subsection (a), the words “by sea” are added for clarity. The words “a territory or possession of the United States” are substituted for “any of the possessions of the United States” for consistency in the revised title.
Executive Documents
ExemptionsFunctions authorized by Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 as exempt, see Ex. Ord. No. 11223, eff. May 12, 1965, 30 F.R. 6635, set out under section 2393 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 55302
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60