This bill would allow passenger ships that were not built in the United States to operate on domestic routes between American ports, a change to current maritime law that restricts such service to vessels built domestically. Currently, federal law requires ships carrying passengers between U.S. ports to be U.S.-built under what is known as the "coastwise laws," but this legislation would create an exception for foreign-built passenger vessels. The bill would affect cruise ship operators and other passenger vessel companies by expanding their ability to serve American routes, potentially increasing competition in the domestic maritime industry. The legislation repeals a related section of federal maritime law to implement this change and makes clear that foreign-built passenger vessels would still need to comply with all other applicable U.S. laws. No specific funding or implementation timeline is specified in the bill, which was introduced in June 2024 and referred to the Senate Commerce Committee.
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