Vessels arriving in the United States from foreign ports may retain on board, without the payment of duty, all coal and other fuel supplies, ships' stores, sea stores, and the legitimate equipment of such vessels. Any such supplies, ships' stores, sea stores, or equipment landed and delivered from such vessel shall be considered and treated as imported merchandise: Provided, That bunker coal, bunker oil, ships' stores, sea stores, or the legitimate equipment of vessels belonging to regular lines plying between foreign ports and the United States, which are delayed in port for any cause, may be transferred under a permit by the appropriate customs officer and under customs supervision from the vessel so delayed to another vessel of the same line and owner, and engaged in the foreign trade, without the payment of duty thereon.
19 U.S.C. § 1446
EDITORIAL NOTES
PRIOR PROVISIONSProvisions similar to those in this section were contained in act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, §446, 42 Stat. 953. That section was superseded by section 446 of act June 17, 1930, comprising this section, and repealed by section 651(a)(1) of the 1930 act.Provisions similar to those in the last sentence of this section concerning sea stores and equipment, were contained in R.S. §2797, as amended by act Mar. 3, 1897, ch. 389, §17, 29 Stat. 691. A provision that steam vessels might retain coal on board without being required to land it or pay duty was contained in R.S. §2798. Provision for collection of duty on excessive quantities of sea stores was made by R.S. §2796. All of these sections were repealed by act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, §642, 42 Stat. 989.
AMENDMENTS1970- Pub. L. 91-271substituted reference to appropriate customs officer for reference to collector.
STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1970 AMENDMENTFor effective date of amendment by Pub. L. 91-271 see section 203 of Pub. L. 91-271 set out as a note under section 1500 of this title.