---
title: "Map coastwise-trade limits for a voyage between US points"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport/map-cabotage-or-coastal-trading-licence-duties-for-a-voyage/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A37-T1-R13-US"
practice_area: "Maritime, Shipping & Transport"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Map coastwise-trade limits for a voyage between US points

> From the voyage instructions, record the load port, the discharge port, and what the instructions say about the vessel's build, ownership and documentation. Decide nothing.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport/map-cabotage-or-coastal-trading-licence-duties-for-a-voyage/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Maritime, Shipping & Transport](https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the voyage instructions, record the load port, the discharge port, and what the instructions say about the vessel's build, ownership and documentation. Decide nothing. |
| What the lawyer must review | 46 USC section 55102 provides that, except as otherwise provided, a vessel may not transport merchandise by water, or by land and water, between points in the United States to which the coastwise laws apply, directly or via a foreign port, unless the vessel is wholly owned by citizens of the United States for the coastwise trade and has a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement under chapter 121, or is exempt from documentation but would otherwise qualify. Merchandise transported in violation is liable to seizure and forfeiture, or a monetary recovery of the value of the merchandise or the cost of transportation, whichever is greater. The Maritime Administration describes the same statute as requiring a US-built, US-owned and coastwise-endorsed vessel, and states that Customs and Border Protection enforces it. Reconcile the "US-built" point with chapter 121 before you advise. Waivers under 46 USC section 501 are a separate, narrow path that MARAD describes. Opinion 512 applies. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Map cabotage or coastal-trading licence duties for a voyage](https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport/map-cabotage-or-coastal-trading-licence-duties-for-a-voyage.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: From the voyage instructions, record the load port, the discharge port, and what the instructions say about the vessel's build, ownership and documentation. Decide nothing.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- This Jones Act is the coastwise merchandise statute, not the seaman's injury statute at 46 USC section 30104.
- Open chapter 121 before you state the build requirement in the client's words.

## Sources

- [46 USC section 55102 (transportation of merchandise)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/55102) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [Maritime Administration: domestic shipping and the Jones Act, 46 USC section 55102](https://www.maritime.dot.gov/ports/domestic-shipping/domestic-shipping) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Coastal trading licence check for a voyage](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/maritime-shipping-and-transport/coastal-trading-voyage-check.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Checklist of the licence types and the section 12 declaration, as the Department of Infrastructure page describes them. The Coastal Trading Act was not opened.… |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*