46 U.S.C. § 50101

Objectives and policy

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(a)Objectives.—It is necessary for the national defense and the development of the domestic and foreign commerce of the United States that the United States have a merchant marine—(1) sufficient to carry the waterborne domestic commerce and a substantial part of the waterborne export and import foreign commerce of the United States and to provide shipping service essential for maintaining the flow of the waterborne domestic and foreign commerce at all times;(2) capable of serving as a naval and military auxiliary in time of war or national emergency;(3) owned and operated as vessels of the United States by citizens of the United States;(4) composed of the best-equipped, safest, and most suitable types of vessels constructed in the United States and manned with a trained and efficient citizen personnel; and(5) supplemented by efficient facilities for building and repairing vessels.(b)Policy.—It is the policy of the United States to encourage and aid the development and maintenance of a merchant marine satisfying the objectives described in subsection (a).(Pub. L. 109–304, § 8(b), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1556; Pub. L. 111–84, div. C, title XXXV, § 3511, Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2722.)

Historical and Revision Notes
Revised Section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
50101	46 App.:861.	June 5, 1920, ch. 250, § 1, 41 Stat. 988; Exec. Order No. 6166, June 10, 1933, § 12; June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title II, § 204, title IX, § 904, 49 Stat. 1987, 2016; Pub. L. 97–31, § 12(33), Aug. 6, 1981, 95 Stat. 156.
	46 App.:891.	May 22, 1928, ch. 675, § 1, 45 Stat. 689.
	46 App.:1101.	June 29, 1936, ch. 858, title I, § 101, 49 Stat. 1985; Pub. L. 91–469, § 1, Oct. 21, 1970, 84 Stat. 1018.

This section consolidates the source provisions to eliminate repetition.

Editorial NotesAmendments

2009—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 111–84 inserted “constructed in the United States” after “vessels”.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 7 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 2015–2025 · leading case: Patrick Novak v. United States, 795 F.3d 1012 (9th Cir. 2015).

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Patrick Novak v. United States, 795 F.3d 1012 (9th Cir. 2015). · cites it 2× “46 U.S.C. § 50101 . One way the statute aims to accomplish this objective is by limiting the domestic shipping market to American companies, excluding foreign competitors.”

Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, Inc. v. Zaragoza-Gomez, 174 F. Supp. 3d 585 (D.P.R. 2016). “) Under the Jones Act, 46 U.S.C. § 50101 et seq., all maritime transport of cargo to and from Puerto Rico must “be carried by-vessels that are (1) owned by U.”

Leo v. Long Island R.R., 307 F.R.D. 314 (S.D.N.Y. 2015). “Although Marasa involved a claim under the Jones Act, 46 U.S.C. § 50101 et seq., the circuit court applied precedent from the FELA.”

Matter of Elizabeth St. Garden, Inc. v. City of New York, 42 N.Y.3d 992 (NY 2024). “Footnote 2: Most of these new arrivals were immigrants, with the exception of Puerto Ricans, who, under the Jones Act of 1917, are United States citizens by birth ( 46 USC § 50101 ). Nevertheless, Puerto Rico holds a colonial status under the United States government and its…”

Kloosterboer Int'l Forwarding LLC v. United States of Am. (D. Alaska 2021). “39 See 46 U.S.C. § 50101 . Case No. 3:21-cv-00198-SLG, Kloosterboer, et al.”

Ingram Barge Co., LLC v. Caillou Island Towing Co., Inc. (E.D. La. 2022). “In one provision, Congress sought to provide a cause of action for a mariner injured as a result of the negligence of his vessel’s master or crew.”

Radtke v. U.S. Bureau of Customs & Border Prot. (D.D.C. 2025). “46 U.S.C. §§ 50101 (a), (a)(3), 55102(b); Am.”

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