46 USC § 56310 - Voluntary purchase or charter agreements

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t46/s56310"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "46 USC § 56310 - Voluntary purchase or charter agreements"
title_number: 46
title_name: "SHIPPING"
section_number: "56310"
section_name: "Voluntary purchase or charter agreements"
chapter_number: 563
chapter_name: "EMERGENCY ACQUISITION OF VESSELS"
part_number: "E"
part_name: "Control of Merchant Marine Capabilities"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-03-26"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added and amended Pub. L. 115–91, div. C, title XXXV, § 3504(b), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1912.)"
---


# 1 Voluntary purchase or charter agreements

So in original.

[^1]

During any period in which vessels may be requisitioned under this chapter as amended, the President is authorized through the Secretary of Transportation to acquire by voluntary agreement of purchase or charter the ownership or use of any merchant vessel not owned by citizens of the United States.

---

**Source Credit**: (Added and amended Pub. L. 115–91, div. C, title XXXV, § 3504(b), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1912.)

## Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section, as added and amended by , is based on , ; , , , which was formerly classified to , War and National Defense, before being transferred to this chapter and renumbered as this section.

### Amendments

2017—, inserted section enumerator and catchline and, in text, substituted “this chapter” for “section 902 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936,”.

, transferred section 2 of act , to this chapter and renumbered it as this section. See Codification note above.