Open America's Ports Act

Open America's Ports Act would significantly loosen certain U.S. cabotage and passenger-ship rules. The bill repeals the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) and adjusts the Jones Act (coastwise laws) so that a vessel that transports passengers between U.S. ports (including routes that pass through or connect via a foreign port) would not be subject to the Jones Act’s typical U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and U.S.-crewed requirements. It also exempt’s passenger vessels from certain citizenship and Navy Reserve enrollment requirements. In addition, the bill makes conforming and clerical amendments to remove PVSA references from the U.S. Code and to realign related provisions. A final “Rule of Construction” clause states that these changes do not broadly exempt vessels from other applicable U.S. laws, except as explicitly provided. In short, the bill aims to open up more flexibility for operating passenger vessel service between U.S. ports, potentially allowing vessels that are not U.S.-built/owned/crewed to carry passengers on domestic routes under certain conditions.