Marad Waiver: Updated Info You Need to Know

Many many years ago our very own governors came up with an idea to protect American maritime activities. The problem was that, at the same time, the consequences of their actions were detrimental of foreign-built vessels intending to trade. That is the reason behind the creation of the Small Vessel Marad Waiver that we will be explaining in this article, and how the situation is today. Read on if you want to find out!

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In 1920, a law called the Merchant Marine Act was passed by the government to administrate maritime activities. The particular section that covers the subject we are here to talk about is the Jones Act, which requires the vessel operating in coastwise commerce to be locally built. The Marad Waiver is here to help foreign-built vessels to contribute to American commerce as well, by being granted a waiver if they meet certain requirements.

It is not, however, available to every non-American-built vessel. Let us guide you through the conditions you should meet to be able to apply to this waiver

Requirements You Need To Meet To Obtain the Marad Waiver

The Maritime Administration of the United States Department of Transportation is the governmental body responsible for the standard of eligibility for the Small Vessel Marad Waiver program. They have determined that the following conditions need to be met to have access to the waiver:

  • The vessel must be at least three years old
  • The vessel must be owned by a United States citizen or organization.
  • The vessel’s main activity must be to carry passengers and cannot carry more than twelve during service.

Marad Waiver

There is No Need to Stress: We Can Help You.

Once you know you meet these requirements there are a few steps you need to follow. To begin with, you will need to submit an application online or by traditional post. At the Vessel Documentation Center, we can facilitate this for you.

Next, Marad will publish a public notice in the Federal Register, noting your vessel and the intended use. This will last 30 days, during which Marad will determine if issuing the waiver would negatively impact American vessels. After that, Marad issues the waiver, and they usually approve the requests. The waiver will now become part of the boat’s documentation and stay with the vessel in case it is sold. After getting the Marad waiver, applicants should file a Coastwise Trade Endorsement for the passenger trade with the United States Coast Guard, in case they do not have one already.

There is no need to say all of this can be done at the Maritime Documentation Center. We pride ourselves when it comes to vessel documentation, and we can get your paperwork sorted in no time. So do not think about it for an extra minute and just reach out to us by filling the Small Vessel Marad Waiver or whichever form you need to fill!