I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4839 
To allow the Secretary of Transportation to authorize vessels documented 
in allied foreign countries, owned by nationals of allied foreign countries, 
or crewed by allied foreign countries to engage in certain coastwise 
trade, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 1, 2025 
Mr. CASE (for himself and Mr. MOYLAN) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and 
in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To allow the Secretary of Transportation to authorize vessels 
documented in allied foreign countries, owned by nation-
als of allied foreign countries, or crewed by allied foreign 
countries to engage in certain coastwise trade, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Merchant Marine Al-
lies Partnership Act’’. 
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‘‘(c) BUILT
OR REBUILT
IN COUNTRY REMOVED 
FROM FOREIGN ALLY SHIPPING REGISTRY.—Except as 
otherwise provided in law, a vessel built or rebuilt in a 
country other than the United States that is eligible to 
engage in coastwise trade may not engage in coastwise 
trade for any period during which such country is not list-
ed on the Foreign Ally Shipping Registry, beginning on 
the effective date of the removal of such country from the 
Registry.’’. 
(c) TREATMENT OF FOREIGN ALLIED COUNTRIES.— 
Chapter 551 of title 46, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 55124. Transportation of merchandise by vessels, 
owners, and crews of foreign allied na-
tions. 
‘‘(a) QUALIFIED VESSEL DESCRIBED.—For purposes 
of this section, a qualified vessel is a vessel— 
‘‘(1) wholly owned for purposes of engaging in 
coastwise trade by— 
‘‘(A) one or more nationals of a country 
listed on the Foreign Ally Shipping Registry; 
‘‘(B) the government of a country listed on 
the Foreign Ally Shipping Registry; or 
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‘‘(C) a combination of the entities de-
scribed in clauses (i) or (ii) and a national of 
the United States; and 
‘‘(2) flagged in the United States or a country 
listed on the Foreign Ally Shipping Registry. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION
TO
ENGAGE
IN
CERTAIN 
TRADE.— 
‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation may authorize, for a period not to exceed 5 
years, a qualified vessel to transport merchandise by 
water, or by land and water, between points in the 
United States to which the coastwise laws apply, ei-
ther directly or via a foreign port. 
‘‘(2) RENEWAL.—The Secretary may renew an 
authorization under paragraph (1) for subsequent 
periods not to exceed 5 years each. 
‘‘(3) REVOCATION.—If, at any time during the 
period that an authorization issued under this sub-
section applies, the vessel subject to such authoriza-
tion ceases to be a qualified vessel under this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall revoke the authorization— 
‘‘(A) except as provided in subparagraph 
(B), not later than 30 days after the date on 
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which such vessel ceases to be a qualified vessel; 
or 
‘‘(B) with respect to a vessel that ceases to 
be a qualified vessel due to the removal of a 
country from the Foreign Ally Shipping Reg-
istry pursuant to subsection (d)(2), on the ef-
fective date of such removal. 
‘‘(4) NOTICE OF CHANGE IN INFORMATION.— 
The owner of a vessel subject to an authorization 
under this subsection shall notify the Secretary of 
each change in information on which the authoriza-
tion is based (including information indicative of if 
the vessel is a qualified vessel) not later than 30 
days after such change. 
‘‘(c) NON-APPLICABILITY
OF CREWING REQUIRE-
MENTS.—The Secretary of the department in which the 
Coast Guard is operating may not enforce citizenship re-
quirements under section 8103 of title 46, United States 
Code, or the credentialing requirements under section 
8701 of title 46, United States Code, with respect to an 
individual who is— 
‘‘(1) a national of the United States or a coun-
try listed on the Foreign Ally Shipping Registry; and 
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‘‘(2) employed on a qualified vessel engaged in 
trade pursuant to an authorization under subsection 
(b). 
‘‘(d) FOREIGN ALLIED COUNTRY REGISTRY.— 
‘‘(1) REGISTRY.—For purposes of authorizing 
transportation of merchandise by a vessel under sub-
section (b), the Secretary of State, in consultation 
with the Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall 
maintain a registry to be known as the ‘Foreign Ally 
Shipping Registry’ that contains a list of each coun-
try determined by the Secretary to be an ally of the 
United States for purposes of carrying out coastwise 
trade under this section. 
‘‘(2) REMOVAL PROCEDURES.— 
‘‘(A) DETERMINATION.—The Secretary, in 
consultation with the Commandant, may re-
move from the Foreign Ally Shipping Registry 
any country determined by the Secretary to no 
longer be an ally for purposes of carrying out 
coastwise trade under this section. 
‘‘(B) CONGRESSIONAL
NOTICE.—As soon 
as is practicable within the 30-day period begin-
ning on the date on which the Secretary deter-
mines that a country is no longer an ally under 
subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall submit to 
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the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Trans-
portation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committees on Foreign 
Relations and Commerce, Science, and Trans-
portation of the Senate a notice of such deter-
mination. 
‘‘(C) EFFECTIVE DATE OF REMOVAL.—Re-
moval of a country from the Foreign Ally Ship-
ping Registry under subparagraph (A) shall 
take effect on the date that is 30 days after the 
date on which the Secretary submits a notice 
under subparagraph (B) with respect to the 
country. 
‘‘(D) IMMEDIATELY REMOVAL RESULTING 
FROM DECLARATION OF WAR.—Effective imme-
diately upon a declaration of war by Congress 
on any country on the Foreign Ally Shipping 
Registry— 
‘‘(i) such country is removed from the 
Registry; and 
‘‘(ii) the Secretary may not add such 
country to the Registry during the period 
of such war. 
‘‘(3) TREATMENT
OF
NATO
MEMBER
COUN-
TRIES.—The Foreign Ally Shipping Registry shall 
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include each member country of the North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization, unless and until the date on 
which such country— 
‘‘(A) is no longer a member country of the 
North Atlantic Treaty Organization; or 
‘‘(B) is otherwise removed from the For-
eign Ally Shipping Registry pursuant to para-
graph (2).’’. 
(d) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap-
ter 551 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by 
adding after the item relating to section 55123 the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘55124. Exception for transportation of merchandise by vessels, owners, and 
crews of foreign allied nations.’’. 
SEC. 3. EXEMPTION FROM DUTY ON REPAIRS OF DOCU-
MENTED VESSELS IN ALLIED FOREIGN COUN-
TRIES. 
Section 466(h) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 
1466(h)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(5) the cost of repairs made in a shipyard lo-
cated in a country listed on the Foreign Ally Ship-
ping Registry pursuant to section 55124(d) of title 
46, United States Code, with respect to documented 
vessels (as such term is defined in section 106 of 
such title).’’. 
Æ 
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