Merchant Marine Allies Partnership Act

Expanded Trade Opportunities: The Secretary of Transportation may authorize qualified vessels to transport merchandise between points in the United States, either directly or via a foreign port. This applies to vessels owned by nationals or governments of countries on the Foreign Ally Shipping Registry (Section 2(b)(1)).

Simplified Crewing Requirements: The Secretary may not enforce certain citizenship or credentialing requirements for individuals who are nationals of the United States or a country on the Foreign Ally Shipping Registry when they are employed on a qualified vessel. (Section 2(c)).

Duty Exemptions for Repairs: The bill amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to include the cost of repairs made in a shipyard located in a country listed on the Foreign Ally Shipping Registry for documented vessels. (Section 3).

Automatic Inclusion of Allies: The Foreign Ally Shipping Registry is designed to automatically include each member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (Section 2(d)(3)).

Loss of Trade Privileges: If a country is removed from the Foreign Ally Shipping Registry, vessels built or rebuilt in that country may no longer be able to engage in coastwise trade. (Section 2(a)(b)(c)).

Mandatory Revocation of Authorization: If a vessel ceases to be a "qualified vessel" due to a country being removed from the registry, the Secretary must revoke the vessel's authorization on the effective date of that removal. (Section 2(b)(3)(B)).

Immediate Removal During War: If Congress declares war on a country listed on the Foreign Ally Shipping Registry, that country is removed from the registry immediately, and no new countries can be added during the war. (Section 2(d)(2)(D)).